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Body of missing Kerala woman found, partner arrested
The decomposed body of a 48-year-old woman, who went missing from Karunagappally in Kollam district on November 6, was found buried at a vacant plot in Karoor
The decomposed body of a 48-year-old woman, who went missing from Karunagappally in Kollam district on November 6, was found buried at a vacant plot in Karoor near Ambalapuzha in Alappuzha district on Tuesday, police officers aware of the matter said.
The 50-year-old accused, a fish worker who allegedly had a romantic relationship with the deceased, was arrested on Tuesday and has been booked on murder charges, they added.
The deceased was identified as Vijayalakshmi, who was separated from her husband. The accused, Jayachandran, a resident of Ambalapuzha, is married and has one child. The murder took place at Jayachandran’s home when his family was away, police said.
He allegedly murdered her by hitting her head several times with an iron rod. Later, he buried her body in the plot of land next to his home in Karoor, they added.
“Initial investigation revealed that Vijayalakshmi went to Jayachandran’s home at Ambalapuzha on November 6. An argument ensued between them purportedly over her relationship with another man. The spat soon turned into a physical tussle during which he assaulted on her head several times with an iron rod. He has confessed before police that he later buried the body in a pit on the land next to his home,” an officer at the Karunagappally police station said on condition of anonymity.
Based on the information revealed by the accused, police dug up the area where the body was buried and found the decomposed body of Vijayalakshmi, the officer added.
“The body has been confirmed to be that of Vijayalakshmi,” said the officer.
Police started suspecting the involvement of Jayachandran in her disappearance after they found her cellphone on a KSRTC superfast bus headed to Kannur. The accused allegedly dropped the phone in the bus after the murder, hoping that it would mislead the investigators and take them to Kannur. However, the bus conductor found the cellphone and promptly handed it over to police. Upon perusing the phone, they found the exchange of messages between the accused and the deceased, police said.
The accused was taken into police custody on Sunday and interrogated, during which he is reported to have admitted to have committed the murder, they added.
The murder sent shockwaves in Karoor on Tuesday. A local said, “He (Jayachandran) is a very quiet man and did not talk to people a lot.”
Another neighbour said, “Recently, we used to see him lurking near the compound where the body was found, which made us suspicious.”
Jayachandran’s wife Suni told reporters that she was aware of her husband’s romantic relationship with Vijayalakshmi. “We knew that they were in a relationship and also had financial dealings. They worked together at the Azheekal harbour,” she added.
Vijayalakshmi’s sister Geetha said that the couple often had differences and arguments, which may have resulted in her murder. “She never told us anything, but we had figured that there were some issues between them,” she said.
Vijayakshmi’s body was sent for post-mortem examination at the Alappuzha Government Medical College hospital. The case is likely to be transferred to Ambalapuzha police station in light of the murder being committed there, police said.
