KOCHI: A 75-year-old woman was murdered, allegedly by her son, who was found to be behaving hysterically at their apartment in Maradu on Thursday night. The deceased was identified as Achamma, wife of Abraham, residing in the first-floor flat of Blue Mount Apartment, near Thuruthi temple.
Police, with the assistance of fire and rescue services officers, took Vinod, 45, into custody after breaking into the flat that was locked from inside. Cops said they suspect him to be mentally unstable. “He used to frequently assault his mother. Earlier in the day, on being alerted by neighbours, a police team had visited the house. However, Achamma refused to file a complaint saying that her son will calm down soon,” said an officer of Maradu police station.
However, as loud noises from the apartment continued into the evening, neighbours approached police again. When the team reached the apartment around 6.15 pm, the door was found locked from inside. Soon, police sought the assistance of the fire and rescue services department and a team from Tripunithura fire station was dispatched. The initial suspicion was that Vinod was trying to kill himself.
“When we reached the apartment, all entries to the flat were locked. The windows were also covered up. Although we asked Vinod to open the door with the help of people close to the family, he did not comply. Then we placed a ladder and made a hole in the window to get a view inside. What we saw was shocking. Vinod was placing furniture and other heavy objects against the door to prevent anyone from entering the house. He was also throwing utensils to the floor. He had opened the taps and water was all over the flat. He then carried an LPG cylinder from the kitchen and threatened to blow up the flat. It was a tense moment,” a fire and rescue officer said.
With Vinod continuing to refuse to open the door, police and fire officers decided to break into the flat. “Using force, we broke the door and entered. Vinod turned violent. He threw plates and other utensils at us. Using shields, we overpowered him. Achamma was found dead in one room with knife injuries. The place was secured and Vinod was shifted to the police station. Achamma’s body was moved to the nearby hospital. The entire operation took over an hour,” an officer said.
A law graduate, Vinod did not have a full-time job. He is also suspected to be a drug addict. A case of murder has been registered against Vinod. His arrest has been recorded and police are interrogating him at Maradu police station. He will be produced before the court on Friday.
Meanwhile, there were reports that suggested that the murder could have been avoided if the police had not delayed their response. However, both police and fire departments have denied any apathy on their part.