KOCHI: A brutal murder story came to light when the missing case of a twenty-seven-year-old Ernakulam native was unraveled. Kochi City Police found that Perumanur native Jeff John Lewis, who went missing two years ago, was murdered by his friends in Goa and dumped on top of a deserted hill. The skeletal remains of the body are in the custody of the Goa Police.

According to the police, the money transaction related to drug trafficking led to the murder. KAAPA case accused Kottayam native Anil Chacko (28), his paternal uncle Stephin Thomas (24), and Wayanad Vythiri native TV Vishnu (25) were arrested the other day. The police reached the houses of the accused and took them into custody. Stephen Thomas is an accused in several other cases. Kochi City Police Commissioner A. Akbar told Kerala Kaumudi that all three confessed to the crime.

Jeff left home in the first week of November 2021. He was killed in the same month. Jeff, who did not complete his MBA studies, became friends with Chacko and Stephin after he became a drug addict. Jeff and Anil had a fallout in Goa over money from a drug deal. According to the statement of the accused, they killed him by hitting his head with a stone and left his body in a deserted place. A special team headed by South CI Faisal will go to Goa today.

Another drug case opened the way
The police obtained a clue regarding the case from a person who was arrested in a drug case by the Kochi City Police. Following this, they nabbed Anil in an investigation that focused on Jeff's mobile. Later, Stephin and Vishnu were arrested. The court remanded the accused to police custody.