The Additional District Sessions Court in Pathanamthitta sentenced a man to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh for brutally murdering his wife, Reena, in front of their children in Ranni.

The court had found Manoj Abraham guilty of murder and wrongful restraint. Reena’s mother and two children were the three eyewitnesses in the case. However, her mother passed away in 2020 before the trial began.

The court declared the accused guilty based on the statements of the children and circumstantial evidence. A total of 25 witnesses were examined as part of the case, and 13 pieces of material evidence were presented in court.

Reena was murdered at midnight in December 2014 following an assault by Manoj. The murder took place in front of their children, who were 12 and 14 years old at the time, after a heated argument between the couple.

The dispute erupted over a phone call Reena had received that day. Fearing for their safety, Reena and her mother, who lived with them, ran to a ward member’s house for refuge.

Although the issue was seemingly resolved there, another altercation broke out at midnight. When Reena tried to escape from the house, Manoj threw a brick at her. He then attacked her with a wheel spanner and repeatedly banged her head against an autorickshaw’s iron bar and the ground. She succumbed to her injuries at Kottayam Medical College Hospital.

The police arrested Manoj soon after the incident. The then Ranni Circle Inspector, Rajappan, led the investigation and filed the charge sheet. Public Prosecutor Adv Harishankar Prasad appeared for the prosecution.