Pothencode Sudheesh murder; All 11 accused get life imprisonment, CCTV footage becomes crucial

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: All 11 accused in the Pothencode Sudheesh murder case, were sentenced to life imprisonment on Wednesday. Sudheesh of Laksham Veedu Colony, Chempakamangalam, Pothencode, was killed in the incident.

Judge A Shahjahan of the Nedumangad Special Sessions Court found Sudheesh alias Unni, Shyam, Rajesh, Nidheesh, Nandeesh, Renjith, Sreenath, Sooraj, Arun, Jishnu Pradeep and Sachi guilty in the case. The second accused, Shyamkumar, is the brother of Sudheesh's wife, Aswathy.

The court had observed that the charges of murder, housebreaking, and SC/ST sections would remain against the accused, but the prosecution could not prove the conspiracy angle. The charge sheet was filed under the leadership of former Nedumangad DySP M K Zulfikar and Pothencode Inspector Shyam.

The district government pleader was directly conducting the case after the special public prosecutor withdrew. District Government Pleader Dr T. Geena Kumari appeared for the prosecution. The police had put up tight security as there were threats against the prosecution and witnesses. 84 witnesses and 58 mainours were presented in court.

Sudheesh was brutally murdered at 2.30 pm on December 11 2021. Sudheesh of Chembakamangalam Laksham Veedu Colony was hacked to death by an 11-member gang when he was hiding in his relative Sajeev’s house in Kaloor. All 11 accused in the case have criminal backgrounds. Even eyewitnesses were not ready to give their statements in court. Sudheesh was accused in the case of hacking Vishnu and Akhil of Mangattumoola on December 6 2021.

Ten of the 11 including Azad, Sudheesh's brother-in-law Shyam Kumar and notorious criminal Ottakam Rajesh are accused in several criminal cases.