THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A Crime Branch team on Friday arrested a person wanted in a murder case that happened eight years ago. Sajjayakmuar, 34, of Manacaud, was arrested for murdering Gomathy Ammal, an 81-year-old, following a property dispute.
The body of Gomathy Ammal was found during cleaning operations in the Amayizhanjan canal on March 20, 2004, eight days after the old lady was brutally murdered.
The police said the accused, Sajjayakumar, had bought three shops and the surrounding land at Chenthitta in 2003. The accused started business in one shop, while the other two shops were occupied by Gomathy Ammal and a tailor. Sajjayakumar subsequently evicted the tailor, but he could not make Gomathy Ammal shift from the premises, even after repeated threats and even a physical attack.
In 2004 March, the officials of the Debt Recovery Tribunal arrived at the shop and informed Sajjayakumar of the Rs one-and-a-half crore debt on the building. Sajjayakumar, who desperately wanted to sell off the building, hit Gomathy Ammal with a rock and later suffocated her to death. With the help of a friend, he later dumped the body in the Amayizhanjan canal.
The Fort Police, which registered a case, couldn’t find the culprit and handed it over to the Crime Branch. When the first Crime Branch team failed in the attempt, a special team was formed under Analysis Wing DySP J Kishore Kumar, which succeeded in unfolding the events. The team members included Grade SI Muhammed Rafi and civil police officers Pradeep, Dennison and Sunil.