Resort owner's mother arrested for starving and beating tribal man: Informer reveals that he was starved for nine days

MUTHALAMADA: Police have arrested Ranganayaki (70), the accused and the mother of the resort owner, in the case of locking a tribal in a dark room at the resort, starving and assaulting him. The Mannarkkad SC/ST court has remanded her in custody. Police said that the search has been intensified for the main accused, Western Gateways owner A Prabhu.

Chambukkuzhi Vellayan (54), a coconut tree climber from Muchamkundu in Muthalamada and son of Karuppan, was brutally beaten and locked in a room for six days. It was his roommate, Thirunavukkarasu, who informed the outside world about the incident. Thirunavukkarasu (54), a native of Thanjavur, who was hiding out of fear of the resort owner, was found in the Moochankundu temple yesterday.

Chittoor DySP PK Krishnadas led the arrest of Ranganayaki and the discovery of Thirunavukkarasu. Thirunavukkarasu revealed that Prabhu had damaged his eye following an argument months ago and had brutally beaten and starved him for nine days. Prabhu had imprisoned Vellayan in an unfinished building last Sunday on the charge that he had taken a bottle of liquor kept under a coconut tree and drunk it. Thirunavukkarasu did not inform the public about the matter due to fear. Seeing that Vellayan's health condition was serious, he informed Dalit leader Sivarajan the other day. Led by Sivarajan and former Muthalamada panchayat president P Kalpana Devi, locals and the Kollankode police reached the building and rescued Vellayan by breaking down the door. Prabhu and Ranganayaki have cases against them, including drug trafficking.