Kerala woman found dead in Malaysia not murder convict Dr Omana but a TVM native

The police have confirmed that the Kerala woman who died after falling off a building in Malaysia was not Dr Omana, who is accused of murdering her lover 21 years ago.

The victim has now been identified as Thiruvananthapuram native Merlin Ruby (37). She fell to her death from the top of a building in Selangor several months ago.

Merlin's body was kept in a local hospital for months as the Malaysian officials could not find any documents belonging to her. However, she was later identified, brought to Kerala and cremated at the St Mary’s Church cemetery in Valiyathura on October 18.

The confusion was caused by the Indian high commission in Malaysia, which issued a notice along with Merlin's photo in a Malayalam newspaper on Thursday, claiming she was an unidentified Keralite woman found dead there. 

Soon, speculations about whether it could be Dr Omana arose, and the police said her family members confirmed similarities between her and the woman in the photo.

Also read: India's most wanted female killer dies a mysterious death in Malaysia?

In a sensational murder case from the 90s, Dr Omana, who hails from Payyannur in Kannur, had poisoned and killed her boyfriend Muraleedharan in a hotel room in Ooty back in 1996.

She then reportedly hacked up the body and stuffed them into a suitcase and hired a taxi to dispose of the suitcase in the forest. The driver of the taxi grew suspicious and reported the matter to the police who brought the murder to light and arrested her.

Dr Omana reportedly escaped the country in 2001 using a fake passport, while she was out on bail. The police have not been able to trace her while the Interpol had put her on the 'most wanted' list.

• Dr Omana
• Murder convict
• Malaysia
• Merlin Ruby