KOCHI: The death of a 32-year-old resident, who was found grievously injured inside a fish truck parked at an isolated area in Edakochi on Monday night, has turned out to be murder.
On Tuesday, the police arrested a couple in connection with the death of Ashik, a resident of Edakochi.
After he was rushed to the Ernakulam General Hospital, where he was declared dead, doctors found that he suffered a serious wound on his thigh and died due to loss of blood.
According to the police, it was Palluruthy resident Shahna who alerted local residents and helped rush Ashik to the hospital.
“Shahna claimed that Ashik contacted her and sought help claiming that he suffered grave injuries following an accident. But we were doubtful of her version. We then carried out a preliminary investigation on the woman,” an officer with the Palluruthy police station said.
Soon, the police took the woman and her husband, Shihas Subair, into custody. According to officers, Shahna had an extramarital relationship with Ashik.
“Ashik was a driver working with interstate goods vehicles. He often met Shahna at isolated places in Edakochi. However, Shihas recently came to know about her relationship with Ashik. On Monday, Ashik asked Shahna to meet him near the fish truck. First, Shahna reached the place. But she was followed by Shihas and they questioned Ashik. Following a fight, he stabbed Ashik multiple times inside the truck. To save Shihas, the woman tried to mislead police by cooking up an accident story,” the officer said.
In March this year, Ernakulam Central Police had registered a case against Ashik on Shahna’s complaint that he took away her 1.5 sovereign gold chain on the pretext of marrying her.
She also raised rape allegations against Ashik, leading to his arrest. He was in jail for a few months. After being released on bail, Ashik and Shahna continued their relationship, the police said.
Umesh Goyal, assistant commissioner of police, Mattanchery, confirmed that Ashik’s death was a case of murder. Shihas has confessed to the crime, he said.
“Initially, we registered a case for unnatural death. Now, we have altered the charges and included murder offences against the accused persons. Further investigation is needed to find out if other people are involved. We will soon approach the court, seeking custody of the duo,” he said.
Ashik’s body was handed over to relatives after a postmortem examination.
The police have also rescued a pet cat, belonging to Shahna. She had brought it along with her when she arrived to meet Ashik before the murder. The police are also collecting information on Ashik and if he was involved in criminal activities.