KOCHI: A man was sentenced to death for killing three people including his brother during a property dispute in Angamali's Mookkannur. On February 11, 2018, the convict Babu killed his brother Shivan, his wife Valsala and daughter Smitha. The death sentence was awarded in the case of killing Smitha. The convict faces double life imprisonment for the other two murders.

Babu has to pay a fine of Rs 4,10,000 under various sections in the case. The court said that charges including murder and attempted murder against Babu have been proved and the case is 'rarest of rare'. The manner in which Smitha was killed was gruesome. There were about 35 cuts on Smitha's body. Babu was sentenced to death considering the manner of murder.

According to the case, Babu, who had come to cut a tree on the family property, got into a fight with Shivan, who prevented it, and then killed him with a machete. Ashwin and Aparna, Smitha's twins, who tried to stop him, were also hacked. The statement of the children proved crucial in the case.

After the crime, Babu tried to commit suicide by jumping into the temple pond in Koratty but was caught by the locals and the police. The police recorded Babu's arrest on February 14, 2018. Babu was a pickup auto driver.