Attingal: A worker from West Bengal fled after slitting the throat of his co-worker at a hollow bricks unit at Poovanpara here in Thiruvananthapuram district. The dead has been identified as Vimal (30) from Galsaigiri, Siliguri. Search is on for the murderer Amal (25) who is also from Bengal.
The murder happened in the workers’ room at AM Hollow Bricks Interlock and Materials Supply early on Monday. Vimal was found on a chair, face covered with shirt and throat slit. There were three cut marks on his face. Vimal came to work here three weeks ago. He had brought Amal along after his first week.
Apart from the Bengalis, Keralites Binu and Mahendran from Poovanpara work at the bricks unit.
While Binu and Mahendran return home after work every day, Vimal and Amal retire to the room provided on site. The two-storey building has office on the first floor and workers’ room below. Binu and Mahendran went home Sunday afternoon. Mahendran returned to work at 6am on Monday only to see Vimal dead on chair. Police and forensic experts investigated the crime scene. Sniffer dog went up to the National Highway tracing Amal’s tracks.
The police believe Amal left the site through a shortcut and fled from the highway.
Vimal was brought to the site by Rahul, a Bengali who has been working in Kerala and settled in Cheruvallimukku, Attingal, for the last 15 years. He has been taken into custody. The kitchen knife, which police believe to be the murder weapon, is yet to be recovered.
Reportedly, Vimal and Amal used to drink on Sundays. A liquor bottle has been recovered from their room. An ensuing quarrel on Sunday might have led to the murder. Vimal died from the deep cut to his throat.
There are no CCTV cameras on the bricks site. Efforts to gather images from cameras nearby are on. Vimal’s body was moved to Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital by 2pm.
No IDs, police in a fix
The police have little to go with in the case since neither the victim nor the suspect had provided identity cards. Vimal’s phone is missing, most probably taken by Amal, they believe.
This phone is now switched off. Search is on in other migrant worker sites and railway stations. Usually, the employer keeps details of employees at their office. But no such records are available on the duo.
The police believe Rahul, who is in custody, might help them track down Amal. It was him who told them that the murdered youth was from Siliguri in north Bengal.
