KANNUR: The Valapattanam police have concluded that the deaths of an elderly couple at their house near Ananthan Road in Alavil were the result of a suspected murder-suicide.
A postmortem examination conducted at the Kannur Government Medical College Hospital at Pariyaram on Friday revealed that Sreelekha, 68, died of a head injury followed by burns, while her husband Premarajan, 75, succumbed to burns.
The police suspect that Premarajan struck his wife on the head with a hammer before pouring kerosene on himself and the room and setting it ablaze. A hammer and kerosene can were recovered from the bedroom where the couple was found dead.
Forensic experts, fingerprint specialists and a dog squad examined the house on Friday. The team found no evidence of external involvement. “The house was locked from the inside. The couple had no financial difficulties and only suffered from age-related ailments,” said Valapattanam SI Vipin.