Two found guilty in rape and murder of tourist near Kovalam

Two accused in the murder and sexual assault of a foreign woman tourist near the known tourist spot Kovalam in Kerala in 2018 were found guilty by a court in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday.

The Latvian tourist was sexually assaulted and murdered near Kovalam, about 15 kilometres from Thiruvananthapuram city, in March 2018. Two local residents, Umesh, 28, and Udayan, 24, were found guilty of rape and murder. The sentence will be pronounced on Monday.

The victim had come down to Kerala along with her sister for Ayurveda treatment and yoga therapy. She went missing on March 14. After 38 days her body was found in a decomposed state in an isolated area close to Kovalam.

The victim's sister was recently permitted to watch the trial at the Thiruvananthapuram additional sessions court from abroad online as she had to leave India as her visa expired. Since there was no eye witness for the crime the police and prosecution could prove the case using scientific and circumstantial evidence.