Provat Das, the accused in the twin murder of a woman and child at Attapadi in Palakkad, has told police that he killed them following a verbal altercation. Das, who didn't reveal much about his motive, said he was provoked after a disagreement. Das took a train to reach Alipurduar after committing the murders. The police team led by Agali SI took him into custody from his house, where he stayed with his wife.

Agali DySP R Asokan, who heads the investigation, said the police team observed his house for a day and received assistance from the Alipurduar police following intervention from the Thrissur Commissioner. The cops anticipated resistance from the locals, but the presence of Alipurduar police helped them secure the custody of Das.

"He lives in a narrow street. We expected people to gang up and resist him being taken into custody. We had to observe his movements for a whole day before we closed in on his residence. He speaks in Hindi, and one cop who knows the language is part of the team. He has been in Kerala for over a month, so he understands Malayalam. He told us that he threw away his phone. The statement is not credible. We need to subject him to a detailed interrogation once he is brought here," the DySP told Onmanorama.

The police have filed an application for a transit warrant at the Alipurduar District Court to transport him to Kerala. Initial probe has revealed that the victims, Pronita and her daughter Joshita, were brought to Kerala by Provat to work in a nursery at Cheerakadavu. They lived like husband and wife at Attapadi.

Das allegedly killed Pronita and Joshita, decapitated the bodies and stuffed them into sacks before dumping them into a river. The police identified the victims with the help of the supervisor at a local nursery.

Relatives of Pronita have reached Palakkad for identification of bodies. The autopsy report revealed that Pronita sustained severe bleeding from multiple chop wounds to her head. The child was allegedly strangulated to death.