Idukki: The police have recorded the arrest of the accused in the murder an elderly woman in Adimali and brought the evidence. Alex and Kavita, natives of Kollam, were taken into custody by the police from Palakkad yesterday. District Police Chief TK Vishnu Pradeep said that the accused killed Fatima during a robbery attempt.

Fatima, who lives near Adimali town, was found murdered inside her house on Saturday evening. Palakkad police later took custody of the accused during the investigation.

The police findings of the incident are as follows: Alex and Kavitha were classmates and were married separately. The two met a few days ago and then started living together. They came to Adimali on the 5th of this month, looking for a job. While looking for a house for rent, they met Fatima and established a relationship with her.

The accused had earlier learned about Fatima's possession of gold jewellery. On the day of the incident, they came near Fatima's house and surveyed the area. As Fatima's son went out, she was alone in the house. Learning about this, the accused went to her and asked for water.

Once the elderly lady entered her home, the accused attacked her, seizing her necklace, and then fatally assaulted her with a weapon found nearby. A necklace weighing two sovereigns, a bangle, a locket and a mobile phone were taken by the accused. The accused got Rs 60,000 by pawning it in a private institution in Adimaly. Upon realising the ring was a fake, it was abandoned.

After the incident, the duo called a taxi and reached Kothamangalam. From there, they boarded a bus and reached Aluva and Ernakulam. The accused left for Palakkad yesterday morning to enter Tamil Nadu. After realising they were under the shadow of suspicion, both tried to change their appearance by cutting their hair in Thrissur. Finally, the police took the accused into custody from Mukundapuram, Palakkad. The accused confessed to the crime after they were brought to Adimaly and interrogated, the police said.

After recording the arrest, they were taken to the institution where the gold was pawned, and evidence was collected. They will be brought to the house for evidence collection. The accused had also bought an old mobile phone with the money obtained by pledging the gold. The statements of the nearby residents and others helped the police to reach the accused.

Clues given by the taxi driver who took both of them from Adimali to Kothamangalam also helped the police to reach the accused. A special police team led by Idukki DySP Saju Varghese took the accused into custody.