Alappuzha: A court on Monday awarded life imprisonment to a man who murdered his friend following an argument in an inebriated condition after a drinking session ten years ago.
Mavelikkara additional district and sessions court found Pramod, a resident of Sasi Bhavan, Nayamkarimbu, Thachikodu, Pathanapuram, guilty of the crime and slapped a fine of Rs 1 lakh.
The case pertained to the murder of Irshad, who belonged to Charummoodu in Mavelikkara taluk, on the night of June 27, 2013. As per the police case, the murder took place at the rented house of the victim near Peroorkarazhma in Thamarakkulam in the Nooranad police station limits.
Pramod arrived at Irshad’s rented house on June 26, 2013. The next day, they sold Pramod’s mobile phone and indulged in a drinking session together before returning to the house. Soon, an argument ensued between the friends. When Irshad fell asleep, Pramod murdered him by smashing his head with a grinder stone before fleeing.
CCTV images from the bar revealed the friends had consumed alcohol together; police back then did suspect Pramod to be behind the murder. However, Pramod remained elusive for a long period. He lived in disguise as a worker in various granite quarries. Later, he left for Tamil Nadu and stayed in Tirupur assuming a new identity as ‘Unni’. He led a reclusive life and didn’t use a mobile phone, as cops failed to find him.
The case, which had hit a dead end within a few months, was revived after the crime branch took charge of the probe. Eventually, a four-member crime branch team from Alappuzha, led by detective inspector K R Biju, traced Pramod to his hideout on June 29, 2021, eight years after the murder.
