PALAKKAD: The fourth accused in the alleged murder of two minor sisters in Walayar was found dead in a closed private factory in Binanipuram, near Aluva on Wednesday. Kutty Madhu, also known as Cheriya Madhu (33) and employed as a security personnel, was discovered hanging inside the factory. Cheriya Madhu was a close relative of the two sisters, aged 13 and 9, who were found hanging in the raft of their thatched house in Attappalam, Walayar, within a span of 55 days on January 13 and March 4, 2017. Autopsy reports indicated that both children had been subjected to sexual abuse.
The Walayar case involves a total of six accused, including a minor. Cheriya Madhu’s death marks the second such incident in this high-profile case, as M Pradeep, another accused, was found hanging in his Cherthala residence on November 4, 2020. Pradeep had been running a bakery near the residence of the deceased girls in Attappallam.
Madhu’s demise comes at a critical juncture as the investigative team’s petition to subject the accused to a lie-detector test was pending adjudication. The POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) court overseeing the Walayar case is expected to decide on the CBI’s request for a lie-detection test on October 30.
The court recently granted permission to the CBI to conduct a forensic examination of the mobile phones belonging to the accused and the victim’s mother, following a petition filed by the investigative agency.
The ongoing investigation is being conducted by a new CBI team. Four individuals, namely Valiya Madhu, Cheriya Madhu, Shibu, and Pradeep, are involved in the six cases associated with the Walayar incident. While Valiya Madhu and Cheriya Madhu were close relatives of the young girls, Shibu, a resident of Rajakkad in Idukki, had been living with the family for several years and frequently engaged in masonry work with them.
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