KOCHI: A day after the priest of St Thomas Church, Malayattoor was stabbed to death, the accused, a former sexton, was arrested by the police on Friday.
An investigation team led by DySP, Perumbavoor, took the former sexton Johny Vattekkadan into custody from a farm near the first station of the Kurisumala pilgrimage, a renowned pilgrim center.
He was in a feeble condition when the police took him into custody from the forest area. Interrogation is currently underway and he will produced in a court after its completion, said the police.
Johny reportedly stabbed Fr Xavier Thelakkad, 52, a Cheranellur native near Thottuva, in a fit of rage after he was suspended from the post of sexton a few months ago.
He then fled to a nearby forest after committing the crime. Though the police and locals conducted an extensive search for him in the forest region on Thursday, they couldn't trace him.
Johny picked up an altercation with the priest at the sixth station of the pilgrim center at noon while the priest was returning downhill from Kurisumala.
At the end of a heated exchange of words, Johny drew a knife and stabbed the priest on his thigh and leg, leading to profuse bleeding and the priest died of bleeding when he was brought to the hospital at Angamali.
Johny had earlier faced disciplinary action for misconduct several times and had a rift with the priest who for a long time.