THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In the case related to the murder of a house owner and rape of his wife at Kovalam Koliyoor Chanalkkara, first convict Vattappara Kalluvakkuzhi native Kolusu Binu (41) alias Anil Kumar was sentenced to death by Second Additional district Sessions judge Mini S Das.

Second convict and Tamil Nadi Odukathur Sinthemedu native Chandrasekharan was awarded rigorous life imprisonment.

The second convict, soon after hearing the verdict, said that he had committed only robbery and if other offences were also charged against him, he would commit suicide in the jail.

Each convict was awarded 7 years rigorous imprisonment and Rs 25000 fine. If they failed to pay the fine, they will have to undergo additional one year imprisonment.

The first convict was awarded death sentence since he committed rape after robbing and assaulting the house woman.
For murder, he was fined Rs One lakh penalty and the second convict was given life-long jail and Rs 25,000 fine. Both can undergo the punishment simultaneously.

The Thiruvananthapuram Second Additional Sessions Court on Wednesday had convicted two men in a case involving the murder of 45-year-old Maryadas and the grievous attack on his wife at Koliyoor three years back. She was also raped after attack.

The Judge Mini.S.Das said that charges of murder, rape and robbery levelled against Anilkumar, alias Kolus Binu, of Vattappara and Chandrasekharan, alias Chandran, 37, of Vellore in Tamil Nadu, by the prosecution have been proved beyond doubt.

The convicts have been charged under the sections 449 (House-trespass in order to commit offence punishable with death), 302 (murder), 307 (Attempt to murder), 397 (Robbery), 376A (Rape) and 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

The incident related to the case happened on July 7, 2016. The children of the household woke up at around 4.30 a.m to see their parents lying in a pool of blood. According to the prosecution, the two had entered the house through the kitchen door. Their initial intention was theft.

They smashed Maryadas’s head with a hammer to murder him. Anilkumar later attacked his wife with the same weapon to make her unconscious and rape her. Her gold chain and two gold crosses stored in the shelf were stolen and sold at a jewellery in Tirunelveli.

Anilkumar had been a neighbour of the victims for a short while two years before the murder. During his stay, Anilkumar and his wife Priyanka had friendly relationship with the victim’s family.

However, Maryadas cut off his ties with the neighbours after learning of Anilkumar’s involvement in several theft cases reported in the locality.

Following the murder, a special investigation team was formed and the culprits were nabbed within 48 hours. A total of 76 witnesses, 99 documents and 49 material objects were examined. The involvement of the convicts was proved from the blood stains in the weapon and DNA samples.

Anilkumar requested the court for a lenient sentence considering that fact that he is the father of a five-year old.