PATHANAMTHITTA: Police have taken one more into custody in the murder of a merchant during a theft in Mylapra. The person who helped pawn the necklace robbed by the accused was taken into custody.

The police had earlier arrested three people in the case. The arrested are Tamil Nadu natives Murugan, Balasubramanian and an auto driver named Harib, a native of Kulasekharapathy in Pathanamthitta. The police said that the arrested accused were serious offenders. Murugan is an accused in 20 cases, including the case of molesting a German woman. Balasubramanian, a native of Madurai, is an accused in five cases. Police are continuing an investigation to find Muthukumaran, another accused in the case. Harib, an autorickshaw driver, met Balasubramanian and Murugan when he was in jail after being involved in another case. The three then conspired and killed the 70-year-old to steal gold and money from him, the police said.

The accused were caught within eight days of the murder. Merchant George Ununni (72), a native of Mylapra, was killed last Saturday. The police had discovered that George was killed during a robbery. The murder took place at George's Pudhuvel stores, which sells stationery and sundries at Post Office Junction.