A police team probing the murder of a female employee of a private nursery in Ambalamukku has failed to recover the weapon used for the crime.
Based on the information given by the accused Rajendran on Monday, the investigators have started a search operation. However, the police are now fearing that he may have been duped.
A scuba diving team of Kerala Fire and Rescue Services was engaged for an operation at a pond in Muttada, where Rajendran claimed to have left behind the knife and shirt he had worn while committing the crime on February 5.
While the murder weapon was not found, divers recovered a shirt. However, the accused claimed that it was not his.
Meanwhile, an attempt by the police to collect evidence from the crime scene led to tense scenes when local residents tried to assault the accused while being taken to the police station. This led to a minor scuffle between the public and the police, due to which Rajendran was later taken to a safe place.
The accused is in police custody to collect necessary evidence to strengthen the prosecution case.