PAYYANNUR: When Prasanna was brutally murdered in another house a few yards away, all the locals were busy celebrating a wedding. By the time the residents learned of the shocking incident, her husband, Shaji, who was responsible for the act, had gone to the Payyannur police station to surrender.

Witnesses reported that Prasanna's head had been severed from her body, and her entire body had been brutally mutilated. Neighbours were left in a state of shock and anger, as the motive behind such a horrific murder remained unclear. The front door of the unfinished house where the incident occurred was found slightly ajar, with construction materials like tiles, cement, and sand scattered outside.

The horrifying murder was immediately reported to Panchayat member E Rajan, who then alerted the police. Police confirmed that a household knife had been used in the commission of the murder. Several local officials, including Block Panchayat President PV Vatsala, Kangol-Alappadamba Panchayat President MV Sunilkumar, Panchayat Standing Committee Chairman Suresh Babu, along with CPM leaders KV Govindan and P Sasidharan, arrived at the scene.

The couple had been living separately for nearly two years, with Prasanna in the process of relocating to her residence in Chekkikulam, Kannur. Their children had already been enrolled in schools there. Despite their separation, Prasanna would occasionally return to her house in Kangol. On the fateful day, Prasanna arrived at her Kangol home around 2 p.m., while Shaji was attending a wedding nearby. It is believed that Shaji came to the house in response to a call from Prasanna, and the gruesome murder occurred within half an hour. Shaji and Prasanna have three children, two daughters, and one son.