Moolamattom: The 26-year-old Philip Martin, accused in the Moolamattom firing incident, had used an unlicensed double-barrel gun, according to the police. One person was killed and another seriously injured in the incident that happened at Moolamattom in Kerala's Idukki district on Saturday night.
The accused had opened fire following a scuffle at a wayside eatery. Philip and his relative had ordered food at the eatery at the Ashoka junction. But when informed that the eatery had run out of food, they got into an altercation. Philip also sustained injuries in the scuffle with those at the eatery.
Philip then went home with the relative on his scooter. But later returned in his car with the gun and started firing at the eatery. After that, while he was going to Moolamattom area, his mother stopped him at the AKG Junction and tried to pacify him. Then some people tried to vandalise his car, according to the police.
Philip left in his car but returned within minutes, stopped at the AKG Junction and fired at an autorickshaw. Amid this, Sanal Sabu and Pradeep, who were passing by on their scooter, got shot.
Keerithodu native Sanal Sabu, 34, died in the incident. Pradeep Pushkaran, 32, who was seriously injured, is on ventilator support at the Kolenchery hospital.
Philip bought the gun for Rs 1 lakh
The country-made gun, seized from accused Philip, was bought from a blacksmith at the Karinkunnam plantation in 2014 for Rs 1 lakh, according to the police.
The blacksmith has died, as per the information received by the police. The cops have found two pellet-like bullets in the gun, and recovered one from Philip's vehicle.
Meanwhile, a court here has remanded accused Philip Martin in custody after evidence gathering.
Sanal's demise: Another tragedy strikes family
Cheruthoni: The deceased Sanal Sabu is the maternal cousin of Soumya who was killed in a shell attack in Israel last May. Sanal is the son of her mother's brother. Even when they are grieving over the loss of a relative, another tragedy has struck the family.
Sanal Sabu is survived by his parents Sabu and Valsala, and sister Sabitha. He was a bachelor. A bus conductor, Sanal was the sole bread-winner of the house. The family owns only an old house on 1.5 cents of land. His father Sabu has been bed-ridden for long due to illness. Sanal had been working for a bus owner at Moolamattom for a year.
The funeral will be held at 11am on Monday.
