IDUKKI: A 38-year-old tribal man identified as Ajesh, accused of brutally murdering his parents in Cheradi in Moolamattam of Idukki district on Wednesday, died by suicide.
Ajesh, son of Kumaran from Keeriyanickal house in Cheradi's Ambalambhagam, was found hanging from a tree in the Kurunkayam area of Nachar River, close to his residence, on Thursday.
Kumaran (70) and his wife Thankamma (65) were found stabbed to death in their bedroom on Wednesday morning by residents.
Ajesh had been missing since the incident.
Residents shared that Kumaran had recently suffered an eye injury in an accident, and the couple had been struggling financially, relying on work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act to make ends meet.
When Kumaran and Thankamma were absent from their work site on Wednesday, it prompted Kumaran's sister, Kamalakshi, to visit their home. Upon calling out to them, she heard a sound from inside. She then entered the house through the front door which was open and discovered Kumaran's body on the floor in the bedroom. Thankamma lay in a pool of blood nearby.
Kanjar police were alerted who then took Thankamma to the district hospital in Thodupuzha and later to the Kottayam Medical College Hospital. Unfortunately, she succumbed to her injuries during the journey.
Ajesh, who was earlier accused in a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) case, had been residing at his wife's house in Kumily. He had returned to Moolamattam just two days prior.
On Tuesday, Ajesh who suffered a head injury in a bike accident while intoxicated had been brought home after receiving treatment. Since then, residents said, he had been behaving aggressively, even threatening neighbors that he would harm them if they entered his house.
Police sources suggested that underlying family issues may have played a role in the crime.