

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Police have arrested a lodge employee in a case of suspected murder of a woman at Green Line Lodge in Attingal in Kerala.
The accused, Joby George (38) is a native of Puthupally in Kottayam. He worked as a cleaning staff member at the lodge. He was taken into custody from Kozhikode on Thursday.
The body of Asmitha (40), a native of Kozhikode, was found in a room at the lodge in the Moonnumukku area in Attingal on Wednesday.
According to police, Joby, who had been staying with her, went missing soon after the incident.
Investigations revealed that the accused had come to the lodge on Tuesday night, introducing Asmitha as his wife. Around 1.30 am, he was reportedly seen entering her room.
When he did not come out the next morning, the lodge staff attempted to open the door but were unable to do so, and then informed the police.
Asmitha was found dead on the bed with injuries to her head and arms. A broken glass bottle, suspected to have been used in the attack, was recovered from the room.
Police said both their phones were switched off after the incident.
The accused was traced and arrested following an intensive search. The investigation is ongoing.