PATHANAMTHITTA: A man, identified as Venukuttan Nair (48) stabbed his wife Sreeja G Menon (38) to death in front of their daughter and later took his own life by slitting his throat. The tragic incident occurred at Sreeja's family home in Kunnanthanam, Mallapally around 7:30 AM yesterday.

The couple had been living apart for eight months due to ongoing family conflicts. Sreeja had been residing at her family's home with their eleven-year-old daughter, Pavitra. The couple's problems primarily revolved around Venu's alcohol abuse and financial disputes. Despite the efforts of relatives to mediate and resolve their issues, the conflicts persisted.

Yesterday morning, Venu who had returned from working in the Gulf three months ago arrived at Sreeja's home with a box of sweets to meet his daughter. An argument between Venu and Sreeja in the kitchen escalated leading to a violent confrontation. Venu repeatedly stabbed Sreeja in the neck and stomach with a knife he had brought. Sreeja, screaming in pain managed to escape briefly but collapsed outside.

Subsequently, Venu inflicted fatal injuries on himself by cutting his throat with the same knife. Neighbours and relatives who had rushed to the scene immediately transported both of them to Mallapally Taluk Hospital. However, Venu succumbed to his injuries before reaching the hospital, while Sreeja was taken to a private hospital in Tiruvalla but sadly couldn't be saved. Keezh Vaayppur police have initiated an investigation into the case.

Venu was the son of the late Madhavan Pillai and Bhargavi Amma and had siblings including Muralidharan Nair (Delhi), Unnikrishnan Nair, Ushakumari (Delhi), Ambika (Putussery) and the late Sivankutty. Sreeja was the daughter of Gopinatha Menon and Sathiamma with siblings named Smitha and Soumya. Sreeja's funeral is scheduled for today at 2 PM.

Sreeja worked for a private financial institution in Tengana and her daughter Pavithra is a 6th-grade student at St. Teresa's School in Chengarur.