Kottayam: Police have arrested the accused in connection with the brutal murder of an elderly woman, whose body was discovered submerged in the backwaters near Kanakakunnu in Muthukulam, Kayamkulam, Alappuzha. The suspect was remanded in judicial custody on Friday.
The deceased has been identified as Thankamma, 80, wife of the late Bhaskaran of Thekkathil, Sadhupuram South, Muthukulam. Police took Prakashan, a relative of Thankamma and a resident of Kochu Padanna near Kanakakunnu Jetty, into custody on Thursday. A native of Kallikkad, Arattupuzha, he had purchased a house and property in Kanakakunnu and had been residing there for two years.
Thankamma, who lived alone, went missing from Monday morning. Her son lives separately with his family, and her daughter resides at her husband's house. The door of Thankamma’s house was found open, with no signs of a struggle inside. After neighbours alerted the daughter, she arrived at the elderly woman’s house and conducted a search. She later filed a complaint with Kanakakunnu police.
Early Tuesday morning, workers engaged in fishing and sand collection near Keerikkad Jetty spotted a body floating in the backwaters. Police and fire force personnel retrieved the body, which had drifted near Kanakakunnu Jetty. Both hands and legs of the victim were found bound.
Thankamma's four gold bangles, a necklace, and earrings were missing. Police initially suspected it was a premeditated murder carried out to rob gold. After questioning people in the area, police zeroed in on Prakashan.
According to police, Prakashan reached Thankamma's house that morning to repair her stove. Facing financial difficulties, he threatened Thankamma and forcibly removed her ornaments. Fearing exposure, he struck her on the back of the head, killing her. He then bound her hands and legs with a bedsheet and lungi, tied a large stone around her neck, and submerged the body in the backwaters.
Prakashan’s absence from Thankamma's post-death rituals — while everyone else in the neighbourhood participated — drew police suspicion. Intensive scrutiny of CCTV footage from the area helped close in on him. The stolen gold was later recovered from a jewellery shop in Kayamkulam.
