Kochi: An elderly couple were found murdered in their house at Tholannur, Kottayi in Palakkad on Wednesday morning. They were identified as Poolakkal Parambil Swaminathan, 75, and his wife Geethakumarai, 65. Their daughter-in-law Sheeja, 35, who was found with her hands and legs bound and gagged with clothes, was admitted to a hospital. Sheeja’s husband Pradeep Kumar, the eldest son of the deceased couple, is working in the Indian Army and posted now in Jammu and Kashmir.
The police took into custody Mannam Choppatti Sadanandan, 53, a native of North Paravur, in connection with the incident. He is a friend of Sheeja. The police suspect that the illicit relationship between Sadanandan and Sheeja led to the killing.
The murder was noticed first by Rajalakshmi who supplies milk to the house of the deceased in the morning. Swaminathan, an ex-army man, was found with his head smashed by hammer and hacked while Geethakumari was smothered to death with a pillow. A gold chain of Sheeja worth 3.5 sovereign is also missing. The police feel that it was a deliberate attempt to create an impression that robbery was the motive behind the killing.
Mr Debashish Behera, Malappuram SP, who is also in charge of Palakkad district, told reporters that Sheeja would be questioned in detail. A team led by Palakkad DySP Sasikumar would probe the incident.
The killing occurred even as the police were investigating a complaint submitted by Swaminathan to the Kottayi police two weeks ago about an attempt to kill him. According to the complaint, some unidentified persons had attempted to electrocute him and his wife by placing a live wire in their bedroom.
Chennithala demands action against cops
Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala has called for stringent action against the police officials who failed to provide security to the couple. In a statement, he said the police and the present ruling establishment were not with the poor and marginalized sections of the people.
