Teekoy: Police have arrested three persons, including a man and his minor, for killing their relative at Njandukal locality of Teekoy in the eastern part of Kottayam district.
Rajan (56) was found dead in his house around midnight on Sunday. Police said the accused had assaulted and bludgeoned their victim after the latter repeatedly refused to withdraw an assault case.
The arrested have been identified as Jose (49), his minor son, and a relative, Lijo Joseph (29). Rajan had earlier served a jail term of 15 years for murdering two persons in separate incidents in 1987.
Police said the deceased, after reaching his house at Njandukal from Kothamangalam on Sunday morning, shared a drink with Jose and Lijo. The brothers got into an argumen, which turned into a drunken brawl, after Rajan refused to withdraw a case he had filed against Jose and Lijo. The duo had allegedly assaulted Rajan and his wife in 2011.
Lijo continued to consume alcohol with Jose’s son, before confronting Rajan again. The accused trio later went to Rajan’s house and assaulted and badly injured him. Around 10pm, they informed Rajan’s wife over the phone that the man has been assaulted, but refused to take him to a hospital.
Around midnight, Lijo reported Rajan's death to the police, but told that unidentified man had attacked him. The truth emerged when they were separately interrogated, police said.
Police have recovered a stick of a coffee plant which was used to attack Rajan. The body showed head and internal injuries, police said, adding that the man’s ribs were also fractured.
The arrested trio were produced before a court. While Jose and Lijo were remanded, the boy was sent to a juvenile correctional centre.
