KOCHI: He joined a private firm handling light and sound systems for events in Kochi only 11 days back. Rajesh M R, 24, opted for this job expecting better remuneration so that he could look after his mother. But fate played cruel as he was murdered on the job and left his 62-year-old mother Lakshmi, aka Chinna, orphaned.
Lakshmi has no house of her own and now she is under the protection of a few relatives. Lakshmi has been unable to recover from mental trauma as her son’s body was laid to rest on Sunday. Rajesh, a native of Ammankovil Parambu, Panayappilly, who lost his father at the age of six, was living with his mother in a rented house near Kannamkulangara temple, Tripunithura.
“He worked as an office staff of a construction company and recently joined the new firm. However, on the 11th day of the job, he was killed,” said Lakshmi, who broke into tears. Rajesh was a light and sound technical staff of the company, which organised the musical event at the open ground near Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kaloor. A few persons were found misbehaving with a woman during the event late at night on Saturday. Rajesh intervened and warned them. However, the gang, which left the place, returned after the event and stabbed Rajesh. He succumbed to injuries at a hospital.
“Nobody from the company has arrived here so far or enquired about his family. The police have also not collected statements from the relatives. We suspect foul play behind the death and will go to any extent for unravelling the mystery behind the killing,” said Selvaraj M S, a close relative of Rajesh.He moved to Kannankulangara, Tripunithura, where his mother’s relatives are staying, following a dispute over the ancestral property at Panayappilly in Fort Kochi.
“He came here in his teenage but didn’t want to trouble other relatives. He looked after his mother by earning a livelihood on his own. We suspect that there is something amiss as of the eight workers employed by the firm, only he was brutally attacked and murdered. There were deep bruises on his hand and abdomen. If it was due to him questioning the group of persons for misbehaving with a woman, why did they attack him brutally like this? The weapon used to stab him has not been recovered so far,” added Selvaraj.
Jayaraj, another relative, said he suspected that a quotation gang was hired to murder him due to certain previous enmity. “We are not aware of the real reason. However, one of the accused who is arrested is a native of Thiruvananthapuram while another is from Kasaragod. All these show that it was a planned attack,” he added.
Residents of Ammankovil Parambu at Panayappilly, who were earlier neighbours of the family, also could not recover from the shock of the news of Rajesh’s death. “He was a soft-spoken youth and was active in all issues related to this area,” said Salam, a resident of Panayappilly, adding that he moved from there eight years back. Many of the residents from the locality attended his cremation in Tripunithura and consoled his mother.
Main accused dodges police, friend arrested
The police probing the murder of Panayappilly native Rajesh MR after a musical event at Kaloor arrested the second accused in the case on Monday. The Palarivattom police are confident of arresting a Kasaragod native who stabbed the 24-year-old after a group of persons were forced to leave the event for misbehaving with a woman.
The police have taken 25-year-old Abhishek John of Amboori in Thiruvananthapuram from Kacherippady area. “We have nabbed the second accused in the case. We are interrogating him. After being sent out from the event, first accused Muhammad Hussain returned to the venue along with friend Abhishek. Following an argument, Hussain stabbed Rajesh,” said S Sasidharan, Deputy Commissioner of Kochi City police.
The police are tracking Hasan who has managed to cross the Kerala border. The probe team was close to nabbing Hussain at Masinagudi area in Tamil Nadu on Sunday night. The police suspect that Hussain was involved in drug peddling activities in Kochi.
“He crossed the border from Wayanad and reached Masinagudi. Our team could reach the location but somehow he managed to leave the place. He is suspected to have moved to Mysuru side. He was involved in a drug-related case registered by the excise in Kochi,” a police official said.
The police are also interrogating Hussain’s twin brother Hasan and a woman as part of the probe. “Hasan and Abhishek were doing part-time jobs as food delivery boys. We have to check whether the crime was committed under the influence of liquor or drugs. We are also probing the involvement of Hasan in helping Hussain abscond,” a police official said. The incident happened on Saturday night after a musical laser show organised at the open ground near Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kaloor