Kollam vagrant murder: Arrest of Tamil Nadu native sparks serial killer fears

KOLLAM: The Kollam City Police have made a breakthrough in the murder of an elderly man near the City Police Commissioner’s office, arresting a suspect who investigators fear may be a serial killer targeting the homeless.

The suspect, identified as Viju, a native of Thuckalay in Tamil Nadu, was apprehended in Valparai by a special investigation team led by the Kollam City Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP).

The homicide occurred around midnight on May 24, when an elderly man named Rajendran was murdered while sleeping on a shop veranda near the Commissioner’s office. Lacking immediate eyewitnesses, investigators scanned local CCTV footage, which ultimately captured images of the suspect and allowed police to track his movements across state lines into Tamil Nadu.

Following Viju's arrest, police uncovered unsettling similarities to a previous unsolved crime, raising suspicions of a serial offender. Investigators strongly suspect Viju’s involvement in an April 19 homicide in Parippally.

The operational methods in both cases share distinct markers:

• Victims: In both instances, the victims were destitute, elderly men sleeping exposed on public shop verandas.
• Modus Operandi: The physical manner in which both victims were assaulted and killed was identical.

While Viju is currently booked under formal arrest only for the May 24 murder, police confirmed that a deeper investigation is underway to formally link him to the Parippally case and probe whether he is connected to any other unsolved offences in the region.