Kerala court sentences man to life imprisonment for 23-year-old’s murder
A court in Kerala on Monday sentenced a 27-year-old man to life imprisonment for breaking into the home of a 23-year-old woman in Kannur district and stabbing her to death in October 2022
A court in Kerala on Monday sentenced a 27-year-old man to life imprisonment for breaking into the home of a 23-year-old woman in Kannur district and stabbing her to death in October 2022.

Earlier on May 10, the accused Shyamjith was convicted by the Thalassery additional district sessions court for the murder of Vishnupriya at her home in Panoor in Kannur district on October 22, 2022. The prosecution had argued that the accused murdered her as an act of revenge for breaking off a relationship with him and rejecting his advances.
On Monday, public prosecutor K Ajith Kumar expressed satisfaction with the court’s order on the quantum of punishment for the convict.
“The accused has been found guilty under IPC sections 302 (murder) and 449 (house-trespass). For the offence under section 449, he has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and fine of ₹25,000. And for offence under section 302, he has been sentenced to imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life and fine of ₹2 lakh. The sentences will run concurrently,” the public prosecutor told reporters.
“The maximum punishment for these offences is either life imprisonment or death. The prosecution had demanded a death sentence considering the brutality of the crime and the accused’s lack of remorse. But the court has chosen to sentence the convict to life. There may have been some reasons behind the court’s decision. Anyway, we are still satisfied with the court’s ruling. This is a case that had shocked the conscience of the public in Kerala,” he added.
Vipina, the sister of the victim, broke into tears after the court’s ruling. “We are happy that the convict has been given life term. But we are sad that we will never be able to see her again. I thank the police and prosecution for everything they have done,” she said.
According to the Panoor police which investigated the case, Shyamjith, who was 25 at the time of the crime, entered Vishnupriya’s home in Panoor on October 22, 2022 shortly after 11:30 am when her family members were away at a funeral home. After an argument, he proceeded to hit her head with a hammer following which she fell unconscious. He then stabbed her repeatedly with a double-edged knife and cut off the nerves on her hands and legs, leaving her bleeding in the bedroom. The postmortem report listed 29 wounds on the body of Vishnupriya.
Though Shyamjith left the victim’s house soon after the murder and headed for his own home, police were able to nab him within a few hours of the murder with the help of CCTV camera visuals. Though there were no direct witnesses to the murder, the police and prosecution relied on scientific clues and circumstantial evidence to link the accused to the crime.
