PALAKKAD: A man of around 40 years of age was allegedly beaten to death by a seven-member gang in Chittoor for repeatedly sleeping outside the house of one of the accused, with police suspecting that more people may have been involved in the murder.
The arrested in connection with the murder are Kathiresan (23) Karthik (26), Naveen (24), Sanjay (27), Prashanth (35), Manikandan (25) and Suryaprakash (22), all from Srampi Unnathi in Kozhinjampara.
The victim, whose identity is yet to be established, is suspected to have been suffering from mental health issues and may have been unable to speak. He reportedly used to sleep outside the house of the prime accused, Kathiresan, regularly. Police suspect that resentment over this had prompted the gang to attack him.
Six of the seven people taken into custody are below 30 years of age. The accused, allegedly under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crime, are said to have chased the victim for nearly half a kilometre before assaulting him with wooden sticks and stones.
"Even after the man collapsed near the Moolathara regulator, the attackers allegedly continued to beat him. The postmortem report indicated that severe internal bleeding caused by the assault led to his death. The body bore multiple bruises and wounds, including extensive injuries to the face, apparently inflicted with stones," said a source from Meenakshipuram police station.
The incident took place on Saturday evening, but the body was spotted by residents only on Sunday morning. They alerted the police. The murder was confirmed after a postmortem examination at Thrissur Medical College.
The police zeroed in on the suspects after examining CCTV footage from the area. The names of those taken into custody have not been disclosed. Investigators suspect that additional persons may have participated in the attack.
The Meenakshipuram police are continuing the investigation under the supervision of Chittoor Deputy Superintendent of Police Sasidharan. They are also trying to establish the victim’s identity, with inquiries extending to neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
The killing has once again drawn attention to mob violence in Palakkad. In 2025, Ramnarayan Baghel, 31, a migrant worker from Chhattisgarh, was lynched at Attappallam in Walayar after a group of local residents allegedly accused him of theft without evidence and subjected him to a mob trial. Baghel had travelled to Palakkad in search of work and was planning to return home after failing to find employment.
In an earlier lynching incident on February 22, 2018, a mob in Attappady caught local resident Madhu and accused him of stealing food/rice from a local shop. They dragged him from a forest cave, marched him four kilometers while beating and humiliating him, and he died from fatal head trauma and multiple injuries while being taken to the police station. Post-mortem findings showed 42 external wounds and fractured ribs.