Cops suspect domestic dispute in Thiruvananthapuram couple’s death
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In the incident in which a couple was found dead at their residence in Ulloor on Friday, police said it is a suspected case of assault following a domestic dispute.
The bodies of the deceased, Reghunathan Nair, 64, and Pushpa, 57, are estimated to be around five days old. The Medical College police have registered a case of unnatural death and are continuing the investigation.
The police said Pushpa’s postmortem examination revealed fractured ribs and injuries to internal organs, allegedly due to an assault by her husband Reghunathan. However, officials said this has not yet been conclusively established. The police added clarity will only emerge based on detailed findings.
The bodies were found at their residence, ‘Pushpa Bhavan’, at Mavadinada in Akkulam. According to police, the couple were unreachable by phone for the past several days. Following a foul smell emanating from their house, neighbours alerted the police. Upon breaking the door open by around 9 pm on Friday, police found Reghunathan hanging from the roof in the kitchen, while Pushpa was lying dead on the floor. The bodies were in a highly decomposed state.
The police suspect that a quarrel between the couple may have led to a sudden outburst, during which Reghunathan allegedly assaulted Pushpa. She is believed to have died immediately from the injuries. The police further added that distress over her death and fear of being caught may have driven him to die by suicide.
Reghunathan was Pushpa’s second husband. The couple was leading an isolated life, police said. Their relatives had last spoken to them over the phone on Sunday and subsequent calls went unanswered.