Suspect Saji held in Nedumkandam dual murder cases

IDUKKI: The suspect in the case of murdering his elderly mother and brother in Nedumkandam and burying their bodies in the premises of their house has been arrested. Marykutty’s younger son, Saji (43), who went into hiding after the incident, has been arrested. The decomposed bodies of Marykutty (70) of Pachady and her son Reji (48) were found. Saji was arrested from a plot near the house.

Saji’s bag was found in a search conducted in the area by the police dog. A search was conducted using a drone this morning. The information was also passed on to the Tamil Nadu police and searches were carried out at check posts. Saji was arrested later.

Marykutty and mic operator Reji were not seen outside since April 10. Saji had told his neighbors that his mother was undergoing treatment at Theni Medical College and his brother had gone to attend the funeral of a relative in Thiruvalla.

The locals, who became suspicious after not seeing the two even after days, informed Marykutty's daughter Sini. Following Sini's complaint, the police reached the house on Sunday evening. Saji, who was standing on the road with a bag ready to travel, ran seeing the police then. The police and the locals chased him, but could not find him.

The soil in the yard was found loose yesterday. The murder was confirmed when a man's foot was seen sticking out from a depth of one foot. The two bodies were taken out at 1.45 pm yesterday in the presence of a forensic team and a police surgeon. The bodies were in a completely decomposed state. It is believed that they are two weeks old. The bodies will be handed over to the relatives after postmortem.

Meanwhile, the police are also planning to re-investigate the missing case of Marykutty's husband. Marykutty's husband, Pastor Mathew, had been missing since May 9, 2018. Marykutty, who had been ill, suffered a stroke three years ago and was bedridden. Marykutty was staying in the house with her sons Reji and Saji.