Thrissur: The police nabbed the accused who allegedly killed two sisters in Shoranur here on Thursday. The two elderly women Thankam (70) and Padmini (72) were found burnt to death at their residence on Thursday evening. Gold ornaments worn by the two sisters were found in the innerwear of the accused who is identified as Manikandan from Pattambi.
“At the time of taking him into custody, he had wounds on head, face and hands. We took him to the Thrissur Government Medical College hospital for a medical check-up. Even during the primary interrogation and until reaching the medical college, the accused in his 50s, was pleading that he got injured when he tried to rescue the sisters," said a senior official from Shoranur police station.
"However, during the medical check-up, the government doctor found gold ornaments worn by the deceased from his underwear. Two police stations in the district had booked the man in various theft cases and for misbehaving with women,” he added.
The officer said the details of the murder and arrest will be officially announced by Friday noon.
Murder during robbery attempt
“We need to interrogate the suspect in detail once again. Prima facie, it is confirmed that he entered the house with the intention of theft and the sisters were killed when trying to resist his attack. We have been able to find circumstantial evidence leading to the murder,” the officer added.
It was on Thursday at 3 pm that local residents heard loud screaming and heavy smoke coming out of the house of Ambalathodi Veettil AR Padmini (74) at Neelamala Kunnu about four kilometres away from Shoranur. When they opened the door, they saw Padmini and her younger sister Thankam (71) downed by fire. It was at the same time that Manikandan, who was inside the house tried to escape from the scene before the natives nabbed him.
The accused first told the natives that he was passing by the area and entered the house to rescue the two aged women after seeing the fire and claimed that he got injured in between. However, the people got suspicious and handed over Manikandan to the Shoranur police. The fire was doused after the fire and rescue team from Shoranur reached the spot.
Blood stains on wall, cooking gas cylinder kept opened
The sisters have been staying alone in adjacent houses in a single compound for more than 15 years. Police said there are various circumstantial evidences to assume that the women were attacked by the robber.
“There are blood stains on the walls. A lighter and a broken wooden stick were also found in the room. It is assumed that the accused first attacked the women and then set them on fire. Though the cooking gas cylinder was found opened, the real cause of the fire will be known only after the forensic tests,” informed the police.
The bodies were shifted to Palakkad district hospital for post-mortem. Padmini has been working as caretaker of an old-age home, while Thankam is a retired health department staff.
