Alappuzha: Two Bangladesh nationals, suspected of murdering an elderly couple at Venmony near Chengannur in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district, were detained on Wednesday.

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) arrested Labilu and Jewel from Visakhapatnam when they were travelling aboard the Chennai-Coromandel Express train. The RPF personnel identified the two from the photographs on the lookout notice published by the Kerala Police.

Police sources said the gold allegedly stolen by the two after committing the murders, has been retrieved.

The RPF will soon hand over the suspects to the Kerala Police team, which is probing the murders.

Elderly couple, A P Cheriyan, 75, and his wife Lillykutty, 68, were found dead at their home on Tuesday morning. Neighbours who found the bodies first alerted the police. Cheriyan and Lillykutty looked after each other as thier two children are working abroad.

A gram panchayat member said neighbours went to the house as they had not seen the couple since Monday afternoon. "Neighbours thought that the two might have gone to the church," the member said.

Lillykutty was found dead in the kitchen. A hoe appears to have been used to kill her. Cheriyan's body was found in an adjacent building used to keep household equipment.

The bodies have been kept at the mortuary of Alappuzha Medical College Hospital.

The couple returned to Venmony 15 years ago from Nagaland where they were working.