COIMBATORE: A 53-year-old suspect listed as Accused No 8 (A8) in the sensational Kodanad estate heist-cum-murder case died due to health complications at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital in Kerala on Thursday night, said police.
On April 23, 2017, a group of unidentified men broke into the Kodanad estate bungalow near Kotagiri in the Nilgiris. The estate was then linked to the late AIADMK supremo and ex-CM J Jayalalithaa. During the break-in, estate watchman Om Bahadur was assaulted and killed. Valuables, including documents and furniture, were allegedly taken from the premises.
Nilgiris police later arrested 10 persons in connection with the case. Santhosh Sami was later added as A8 in the chargesheet.
Santhosh Sami, a native of Thrissur district in Kerala, had been facing serious health issues for over a year. Because of this, he had been unable to appear for hearings in the Nilgiris District Court, where the case is pending trial, sources said.
He developed severe health complications on August 14. He was first admitted to a private hospital in Chalakkudy, Kerala. As his condition worsened, he was shifted to a hospital in Ernakulam and later to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment. He succumbed during treatment on Thursday night, sources added.
With his death, the trial against him in the Kodanad case will be abated. The case against the remaining nine accused continues in the Nilgiris court.
