Kurupanthara, Kottayam: The police team investigating the murder of moneylender Chirayil Stephen Pathrose is seeking information on people who visited or contacted him before the crime on Wednesday.
The police say a money deal had taken place hours before Stephen, 61, was hacked to death, presumably between 1.30 and 4.30 pm, in his house in Kurupanthara. It was Stephen's wife, Elizabeth, who first found him murdered as she returned by 4.30 pm from the school where she works.
Stephen had sustained a deep wound on the left side of his neck. Forensic experts found footprints in the room. Fingerprint experts and a bomb squad also scanned the house, and the police searched late into the night for the murder weapon in the surroundings. A police dog was also deployed.
The police are seeking details of calls Stephen received on his mobile phone and people who visited him.
Feared attack
Stephen had informed his nephew Peter that he was expecting a man with money he had borrowed years ago. He had lent Rs 27 lakh to the man and was expecting Rs 10 lakh to come back. Stephen had obtained a security of 50 cents land from the borrower, and had told Peter that the man wanted the property back when he repays Rs 10 lakh.
According to the police, the borrower had information that Stephen was trying to sell the land and that he had taken a land broker to the plot. Stephen had sought Peter's advice on what should be done if the borrower brought Rs 10 lakh.
The primary conclusion of investigators is that Stephen feared an attack from the borrower and that's why he called his nephew.
Peter told the police that he knew where the land was, but had no idea about the borrower. The police are proceeding on this piece of information.
