KOCHI: The death of a 32-year-old man in Edakochi on Monday night, initially reported as an accident, has turned out to be a murder, with police taking a couple into custody on Tuesday.
Ashik, a native of Edakochi, was found severely injured inside a parked fish truck in an isolated area. He was rushed to Ernakulam General Hospital, where he was declared dead. The doctors who examined Ashik found that he had suffered a serious wound on his thigh and died due to excessive bleeding.
According to police, a woman from Palluruthy alerted the residents and rushed Ashik to the hospital. “She claimed that Ashik contacted her and sought help, stating that he had suffered serious injuries following an accident. However, we were doubtful about her version. We conducted a preliminary investigation about the woman,” a police officer said.
Soon after, police took the woman and her husband, identified as Shihas, into custody. According to officers at the Palluruthy police station, the woman was having an extramarital relationship with Ashik. “The deceased was a driver working with interstate goods vehicles. He often met the woman at isolated places.
However, Shihas recently came to know about his wife's relationship with Ashik. Thus, he reached Edakochi to question Ashik. Following a fight, he stabbed Ashik multiple times. To save Shihas, the woman tried to mislead police by cooking up an accident incident,” an officer said.
In March this year, Ernakulam Central Police had registered a case against Ashik based on a complaint by Shihas’s wife, alleging that he had taken her 1.5 sovereign gold chain under the pretence of marrying her. She had also raised rape allegations against Ashik. However, police could not find any concrete evidence against him in the case.
Umesh Goyal, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mattancherry, confirmed that Ashik’s death was a murder. He stated that the husband of the woman had confessed to the crime.
“The arrest of the accused persons will be recorded soon. The involvement of more persons in the incident is being probed. In the coming days, we will complete the remaining procedures of evidence collection and recording witness statements. We would seek the custody of the accused after they are remanded in judicial custody,” he said.
The body of the deceased was handed over to his relatives after the post-mortem. Police are also collecting information about Ashik and his possible involvement in any criminal activities.