MALAPPURAM: In a crime straight out of the blockbuster movie ‘Drishyam’, three brothers and their friend killed a woman and buried her body in their residential compound at Tuvvur in Malappuram with the intention of constructing a bathroom on the spot.
However, the police foiled their plans following a thorough probe and arrested brothers Vishnu M, 27, Vaishak M, 21, and Vivek M, 20, and their friend Muhammad Shihan, 18 from Moonukandan house in Tuvvur on Tuesday. The police also arrested Muthu, 53, the trio’s father, as he was present at the crime scene and knew about the murder.
Vishnu, a Youth Congress member, was officially removed from the outfit on Tuesday. The Karuvarakundu police had received a complaint on August 11 from family members and Tuvvur residents regarding the disappearance of Sujitha, 35, the wife of resident Manoj Kumar. Sujitha was a temporary employee at Tuvvur Krishi Bhavan.
A search was launched with the aid of residents. The perpetrators, whose involvement had not been revealed at the time, joined them too. The police said Sujitha left the Krishi Bhavan on August 11 on the pretext of visiting a primary health centre nearby. However, she went to Vishnu’s residence, which is in close proximity to her workplace. The four accused persons, who were there, attacked her.
“They suffocated Sujitha. When she lost consciousness, they used a rope to ensure she was dead. They then concealed her body beneath a cot in the house. Later, Vishnu took Sujitha’s gold ornaments and sold them at a nearby jewellery store. The accused divided the money among themselves,” said Malappuram police chief Sujith Das.
The same night, the group buried Sujitha’s body in a pit that they had dug up on the premises of Vishnu’s house to dump waste, said the police. “They were planning to construct a bathroom on the spot to make sure the body remained concealed. Vishnu’s father Muthu knew of the group’s plans and was present during the crime,” an officer said.
The police exhumed Sujitha’s body from the spot on Monday night. Das said making money off Sujitha’s ornaments appeared to be the sole motive behind the crime. “The postmortem examination will reveal more details,” he said.
Das said Vishnu was the last person to contact Sujitha. “When we analysed his communications, we discovered he had contacted a jewellery store to sell Sujitha’s gold ornaments. We detained all five persons. They confessed to the murder,” he said.