Kannur: Koyipra native Anila (36) was murdered by her childhood friend Sudharshan Prasad alias Shiju (34), the police said on Monday.
Anila was found dead at a house in Koravayil near Annur while Sudharshan was found hanging in a rubber plantation at Mathamangalam.
Investigation into the deaths revealed that Sudharshan and Anila had been friends since their school days. The police suspect Anila's involvement in Sudharshan's family matters led to the crime.
Sudharshan was the caretaker of the house where Anila was found dead. The family that owns the house was away on vacation. According to the police, Sudharshan took Anila to the house around 11 am on May 4 and strangled her using a shawl in the kitchen. As per the post-mortem report, the murder was committed before 3 pm.
Based on the preliminary investigation, the police have ruled out the involvement of a third person. A special investigation team was formed under Circle Inspector Jeevan George to investigate the case.