IDUKKI: The police arrested a man, who has been on the run for allegedly murdering his lover and burying her body inside the kitchen of his home in Panickankudi in Idukki, on Monday, 26 days after the incident.
The suspect, Binoy, 49, was hiding inside a plantation area in Idukki's Perinchamkutty, where the special investigation team, patrolling in mufti, held him with the support of local residents on Monday noon.
The cops had found the body of Sindhu Babu, 45, buried inside the kitchen of Binoy on September 3. The officials conducted a search in Binoy’s house based on the complaint filed by Sindhu’s family members that she was missing from her rented house in Panickankudi from August 12.
Sindhu was in a relationship with Binoy and along with her younger son Akhil was staying near Binoy’s house, leaving her husband Babu. However, Babu was recently diagnosed with cancer and had sought treatment at Kottayam Medical College Hospital. Sindhu had gone to see him there and also met him when he returned to Panickankudy.
Police suspect Sindhu’s sympathy over her husband had infuriated Binoy, which forced him to kill her.
A day before the murder, when Akhil went to Binoy’s relative's house, a brawl occurred between Sindhu and Binoy over the issue.
When Akhil came back the next day (August 12), Sindhu was found missing. Based on the complaint filed by Sindhu’s family members on August 15, police called Binoy for questioning. However, Binoy fled the scene on August 16. The crime came to light when Sindhu’s brothers searched Binoy’s house on Friday and found a newly-built fireplace in his kitchen. When they dug it up, Sindhu’s fingers became visible.
Later the police dug the 4-ft pit after demolishing the kitchen walls on Saturday and her body was found buried inside it.