KOCHI: Refuting the claims that the accused in the Chendamangalam triple murder case is mentally unstable, the police investigation has revealed that the 28-year-old man who killed his neighbours was fully conscious of the crime he was committing.
Terming the crime “intentional”, the police said the accused, Rithu Jayan, was not in an intoxicated state either.
On Thursday evening, Rithu bludgeoned his neighbours Venu, 65, his wife Usha, 62, and their daughter Vinisha, 32, of Kizhakkumpuram, Chendamangalam, to death using an iron rod. Vinisha’s husband Jithin suffered grave injuries in the attack.
“Our initial probe revealed that the accused reached Venu’s house with the intention of killing Jithin. He was holding an iron rod and also carried two kitchen knives in his pocket. He confessed to the crime during the interrogation. There were altercations between the two families on several occasions. He was also agitated about Venu and family filing a police complaint against him,” said a police officer.
On Friday, police took Rithu for medical examination. “The results revealed that he was not intoxicated while committing the murders. Whether the accused is mentally unstable will be checked during investigation. However, as of now, there is no such indication. He is cooperating with the investigation,” said Jayakrishnan S, DySP Munambam, who is investigating the case.
Following the triple murder, residents had claimed that Rithu had earlier escaped severe police action citing mental instability.
Triple murder: Accused remanded in judicial custody, shifted to Aluva jail
After around an 18-hour interrogation, Rithu was produced before a magistrate court in North Paravoor on Friday evening. The court remanded him in judicial custody for 14 days, following which he was shifted to the Aluva jail. The police will file a petition seeking his custody on Saturday.
Police are also probing Rithu’s stay in Bengaluru. “He clashed with people wherever he went. We have information that he caused some problems in Bengaluru as well. However, he has denied it during the interrogation. But we are collecting details about his stay in Bengaluru,” Jayakrishnan said.
Meanwhile, Ernakulam Rural Police Chief Vaibhav Saxena said a comprehensive probe is being carried out in the case. “Our team is collecting all possible evidence against the accused. His entire background is being checked. He was a troublemaker. Our preliminary assessment is that the murder was the result of disputes between neighbours,” Vaibhav said.
A large number of police personnel were deployed at the magistrate court in North Paravoor when the accused was produced before the court on Friday evening. Though some people attempted to reach near the accused on the court premises, the police managed to drive them away.