Sat Jan 04 18:05:42 UTC 2025: ## 19-Year-Old Cold Case Cracked: Army Deserters Arrested for Triple Murder
**KOCHI, Kerala –** Nineteen years after a young mother and her twin infant daughters were brutally murdered in Kollam, Kerala, two Indian Army deserters have been arrested. Dibil Kumar B and Rajesh P, who were soldiers in the 45 AD Regiment at the time of the crime, were apprehended in Puducherry on Friday and produced before a court in Kochi on Saturday.
The murders occurred on February 10, 2006, when Ranjini, 24, and her 17-day-old twins were found dead in their home. Initial investigations implicated Dibil Kumar, Ranjini’s boyfriend, who feared a paternity test would confirm his fatherhood. The ensuing investigation revealed that Kumar, along with his fellow soldier Rajesh P, plotted and executed the triple murder. Fearful of the consequences, the two men deserted the Army in March 2006 and went into hiding.
Despite a massive manhunt, including a substantial reward offered by authorities, and the case being handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2010, the duo evaded capture for nearly two decades. They built new lives in Puducherry under assumed identities, obtaining new documents including Aadhaar cards, marrying, and fathering children.
A recent tip-off finally led the CBI to their location. After surveillance, the Chennai unit of the CBI arrested the pair. They have been remanded in police custody until January 18, with the CBI intending to seek further custody for continued questioning. The arrest marks a significant closure in a long and complex case that shocked the state.
First Piper 