Murder accused knew Thrissur dentist as a student, financially exploited her after divorce

Kochi: Sona (30), a dentist practising in Kuttanellur in Thrissur, was stabbed by her friend Mahesh in front of her father, relatives and mediators trying to solve the dispute between the two. 

A family friend of Sona told Manorama Online that Mahesh came with a knife to kill Sona in the name of mediation. 

He said Sona had been tortured and kept in confinement by Mahesh for the past one year and that he had not allowed her to talk to her parents. Mahesh had hid Sona's degree certificates, too. 

Sona sneaked out and went home when she got an opportunity a few days ago. She then informed her family what had happened after which her relatives intervened in the matter and lodged a police complaint against him. According to the relatives, Mahesh killed her because he was enraged that they had filed a complaint. 

Mahesh had been Sona’s friend since her days as a student in the medical college. It is learnt that Mahesh is a relative of one of her friends.

After her studies, she married a man from Angamaly, but they separated two years later. Though Sona worked abroad for a brief period, Mahesh asked her to return home in the pretext of friendship.

It was at Mahesh's insistence that she opened a dental clinic in Kuttanellur. Mahesh had helped her find the place for the clinic and provided other assistance. The two were also living together in Kuriachira in Thrissur. They however, told the public that they were a married couple.

Sona had told her family that Mahesh had helped her open and operate the clinic. She had, however, not told them that she was living with him.

According to her relatives, he took her money and forced her to stay with him by threatening to inform her parents about their live-in arrangement if she objected.

Mahesh had been taking away the entire income from the clinic for the past one year. According to the accounts for the financial year 2018-19, he had taken Rs 22 lakh earned through the clinic.

Apart from this, he had also taken Rs 6.5 lakh from the Rs 7 lakh, Sona received from a chit fund saying he needed money to do the interior work for the clinic.

After Sona told her family all this, they lodged a complaint with the Thrissur city police commissioner on September 25. The commissioner handed over the complaint to Ollur CI directing him to investigate the case. 

Sona, her father and a family friend arrived at the police station on September  29 as per the instructions of the CI.

When they explained their complaint, the police summoned Mahesh but he did not come. He also did not pick up calls from the police. The CI then called him from Sona’s phone and spoke to him. Mahesh said he would come soon. However, despite calling him many times after that, he did not go to the police station.      

They waited for about one-and-a-half hour at the police station, but Mahesh did not turn up. They then went to Sona’s clinic. Mahesh was at the clinic that day, but he left the place when he got the call from the police.

When Sona's relatives also reached the clinic, a local political leader called and said he would come with Mahesh if they were willing to talk and solve the issue. 

The leader went to the clinic with Mahesh after Sona's relatives told him that they would withdraw the case if the problem could be resolved through mediation.

Mahesh said he was yet to receive Rs 20 lakh for the interior work done in the clinic and that he would not create any problem if he got the amount. 

When Sona showed the amount of money she had paid for his work that wouldn't have cost even Rs 5 lakh, Mahesh's companions stopped supporting him.

The relatives demanded that he should return the Rs 13.5 lakh he had taken from her and let Sona go. Sona said she intended to sell the clinic and return to her native place. 

But, Mahesh said he would run the clinic. However, when Sona told him that would not be possible since the licence and other documents were in her name, Mahesh got agitated. 

As the talks turned into a dispute, Sona’s relatives said the police could proceed with the case and that they wouldn't withdraw it. When the mediators also agreed, Mahesh took out the knife he was carrying, caught hold of Sona with his arm from behind and stabbed her in her stomach. Before others could stop him, he stabbed her again. One of the stabs injured her thighs.

Those present then got hold of him and pushed him aside. But as they got involved in the effort to take Sona to a hospital as soon as possible, Mahesh gave the mediators the slip and escaped. 

The first stab wounded her heart and Sona died because the bleeding did not stop, hospital authorities said.

The police have recovered the car used by Mahesh for escape from Koorkancherry. He fled after leaving the car with his relatives. 

Sona's body has been cremated. She has a five-year-old daughter. 

According to locals, Mahesh was associated with all politicians in the locality. He lived off Sona's income and he murdered her when he realised that would stop, they said.