Man arrested for killing mother, brother in Idukki; police say he confessed

Police on Tuesday arrested a man for allegedly killing his mother and brother in the district earlier this month. The man, identified as Saji, had gone missing after police launched a probe into the disappearance of his mother and brother. He was taken into custody from an area near his house on Tuesday, police said. He is the younger son of the deceased woman. Police said Saji confessed to the crime during interrogation. The development comes a day after police exhumed two decomposed bodies, believed to be those of a woman and a man, from a pit in the compound of a house belonging to a native of Pachadi. The bodies were recovered during a search operation launched in connection with a missing persons case involving Marykutty (70) and her son Reji (48), residents of Thootuvakada in Kalkoonthal village, Nedumkandam. Idukki Superintendent of Police K M Sabu Mathew said that, based on the current investigation, it appears that Saji alone committed the crime. According to preliminary findings, a property dispute with his brother, alleged harassment, and opposition to his marriage are suspected to be the motives behind the killings. ''There are several such issues, and the murders appear to be the culmination of all these factors. A detailed investigation into the motive is required,'' the police officer told reporters. Police said Saji will be produced before the court on Wednesday, and his custody will be sought for further investigation. They added that the disappearance of his father years ago will also be investigated. ''Whatever complaints the complainant raises, all those angles will be examined in detail. He has explained how the murders were carried out, but that cannot be disclosed at this stage. The interrogation is ongoing,'' Mathew said. ''We need to verify whether his version and the facts emerging from the investigation are consistent. If needed, the father's case will also be investigated,'' he added. According to police, Marykutty's daughter Sini had filed a missing persons complaint on Sunday, based on which a case was registered. During the probe, police searched the house premises on Monday morning and found body parts buried in a recently dug pit. Later in the day, in the presence of forensic experts, two bodies were exhumed from the site. The bodies, in a highly decomposed state, have been shifted to a hospital for post-mortem examination to ascertain the cause of death, police said, adding that DNA analysis will be carried out to confirm the identities. Police suspect that the victims were murdered and buried in the compound. They said Saji, who had been staying at the house, had earlier given contradictory statements regarding the whereabouts of the missing persons, raising suspicion among relatives and locals.

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