Palakkad: The absconding man who killed his neighbour Lakshmi and her son Sudhakaran at Nenmara on Monday had threatened to kill them earlier, but police took no action despite the family's complaint, said Sudhakaran's daughter Akhila.

The accused, Chenthamara (58), was serving jail time for murdering Sudhakaran's wife, Sajitha, in 2019. Trial proceedings were about to begin for the same case when the accused was released on bail. At the time of the incident, Chenthamara was living in his own house, violating his bail conditions.

Akhila told reporters they had complained against Chenthamra on December 29, 2024. "Chentamara had been constantly threatening us; that's just his nature. He told the police he wouldn't do anything. The police believed him and released him," she said.

"I lost my father and grandmother. Now, who do I have? He was venting his anger on us after his wife left him. We filed a police complaint on December 29, citing that he was threatening us," she said.

Meanwhile, police said they had asked the court to cancel Chenthamara's bail.

Local residents had repeatedly complained to the police that Chenthamara had mental health issues and was threatening the family. They allege that the police did not take the complaints seriously.

Had the police taken the complaint filed by Sudhakaran and his daughter seriously enough, the double murder could have been avoided, residents say.