HARIPPAD: Sajith (40), accused in the Harippad Muttom Jalaja murder case, was found hanging in a Golden Avenue hotel room near the Housing Board junction in Thiruvananthapuram. He was the son of Sasi-Mani couple in Peedikaparambil.

Sajith, who was arrested in the case, was staying in Thiruvananthapuram after getting released on bail. He booked the room in Golden Avenue on Sunday. After noticing that Sajith had not opened the door for the last two days, the hotel staff knocked on the door several times yesterday morning. They even tried to open the door. By 11 am, a carpenter arrived and opened the door. Following this, the Cantonment police reached the spot and conducted an inspection. The body was then shifted to the General Hospital. The trial in the Muttam Jalaja murder case was about to begin on August 3.

Muttom native Jalaja was found dead inside her house on August 13, 2015. The Special Branch of the Crime Branch took over the investigation and arrested the accused on December 24, 2017, after the local police and the Alappuzha Crime Branch failed to arrest the accused. Sajith was a friend of Jalaja's neighbour Raghu. According to the police, Sajith misbehaved with Jalaja and this led to a dispute between the two. Following this, Sajith beat her to death. Sajith also stole Jalaja's jewellery to make it appear that the murder took place during an attempted robbery.

Sajith, who had gone abroad, was later nabbed by the investigation team led by Thrissur Crybranch SP Sudarshan. Sajith was released on bail in July 2018. He had been living in Thiruvananthapuram since then.