KOCHI: In a disturbing twist, the police have revealed that the woman who was reported to have collapsed and died in the courtyard of a house in Aluva was in fact murdered by her son.
The accused, Binu P R, 38, belonging to Rajakumari in Idukki district but currently residing at Desom, Aluva, was arrested on Wednesday for murdering his mother, Anitha, 58, over a property dispute.
The woman, who had been under treatment for mental health issues, was brutally assaulted by Binu using a stick and a grinding stone, resulting in her death, said a source with Ernakulam rural police.
Anitha was found lying near a washing stone outside their rented house around 5pm on Sunday. Though Binu rushed her to the Aluva government hospital, she was declared dead on arrival.
Murder charges were invoked in the case, initially recorded as one of unnatural death, after inquest proceedings and subsequent investigation revealed alarming details, the officer said.“During interrogation, the accused confessed to the crime, admitting that he attacked his mother. A long-standing property dispute over 1.5 acres the woman owned in Idukki led to the murder,” said a police officer.
He said Anitha had been living at a care home for the past 20 years, after being abandoned by her mother in childhood and later by her husband 12 years into their marriage. She was the mother of three sons, and the accused, Binu, was the second.
In September this year, Binu took her from the mercy home to live with him at his rented house. Before releasing her, the mercy home authorities had expressed concerns about her health and required Binu to sign documents to take responsibility for her care.
In connection with that, Binu later filed a complaint accusing the mercy home staff of sexual assault at the Vellathooval police station in Idukki—an investigation that is still ongoing.
While staying with him, Anitha was allegedly harassed by Binu over a dispute regarding her property in Idukki. “During the inquest, several injuries were found on the body, prompting us to request a detailed postmortem examination at the Government Medical College Hospital. The autopsy later confirmed 10 to 20 bruises and established the death as a homicide,” the officer said.