KOTTAYAM: In a major achievement, the police team probing the murder of 60-year-old woman at Parappadam near Kottayam, arrested the accused within three days of the crime. The arrested person has been identified as Muhammed Bilal (23), a neighbour of the victim and a native of Thazhathangadi.
On Monday evening, M A Abdul Sali (65) and his wife Sheeba (60) of Shani Manzil, Parappadam were found seriously injured at their house. While Sheeba died on way to the hospital, Sali was admitted at the critical care unit at the Government Medical College hospital and his health condition remains critical.
According to Kottayam district police chief G Jaidev, the accused was very familiar to the family and the motive behind the crime seems to be financial gain. He was taken into custody from Ernakulam on Wednesday late evening and the police recorded the arrest in the early hours of Thursday after he admitted his involvement in the crime. Jaidev added Bilal fled from the spot with the victims’ car and some money and gold after committing the crime and was staying at a house in Kakkanad in Ernakulam. Police team collected evidence from this house along with the accused and recovered some gold as well.
“Accused was staying in Ernakulam for a while and arrived at Thazhathangadi on early morning on Monday with an intention of robbery. Since, the family was very much familiar to the accused, the couple opened doors when he arrived the house. The accused first attacked Sali and then his wife Sheeba. He hit the victims on their head several times with wooden furniture with an intention to kill them. Though, he attempted to electrocute the victims, it didn’t work out. To destroy the evidence, he also left open an LPG cylinder in the room,” Jaidev said.
Bilal has some criminal antecedents and police had registered a case against the accused in Kottayam West Police station. Earlier, the victims’ family had helped the accused in a difficult situation.