Alappuzha: Two days after Rajesh, a 50 year old man was found dead in Mavelikkara, the police have found out that it was a murder executed by his close friends including his colleague and woman friend. The Mavelikkara Police arrested three people on Thursday. Rajesh, a native of Chennithala, was found dead in front of a bank in Michel Junction, Mavelikkara, on Tuesday. The murder was carried out by Bijukumar and Sunu at the behest of Smitha K. Raj. All three of them were close friends of Rajesh. According to the police, Smitha was a staff at the marriage bureau owned by Rajesh in Changanasserry. However, lately, Smitha had taken over the running of the marriage bureau from the hands of Rajesh, who was an alcoholic.
Rajesh used to regularly pick up fights with Smitha over this issue and assault her. Fed up with the constant abuse, Smitha then paid Bijukumar and Sunu, friends of Rajesh, to kill him. On June 17, the trio of Bijukumar, Sunu and Rajesh visited various bars and spent the day drinking. In the evening, Rajesh was kicked out from a bar near Michel Junction after causing a ruckus.
Later, Rajesh returned to the same bar and continued drinking. After he came out Rajesh fell asleep on the front of the bank nearby. Later at night, at around 12:45 am, Bijukumar and Sunu arrived at the spot on a motorbike and bludgeoned Rajesh to death.
The duo then went into hiding. Smitha, who had paid for their expenses at the bars, meanwhile attended the post-mortem and cremation of Rajesh. The Mavelikkara Police, who were on the hunt for Bijukumar and Sunu, nabbed them while they were attempting an escape to the neighbouring state from Kulanada, near Pandalam. The arrested have confessed to the crime, the police said. The three were presented before Mavelikkara Judicial Magistrate court and remanded into judicial custody.
The police team was led by Mavelikkara Police Inspector S. Bijoy under the supervision of Chengannur DySP K.N. Rajesh, with ASI P.K. Riyaz, ASI Sajumol, and Senior Civil Police Officers Vinod Kumar, Sajan, Unnikrishnapillai, Mohammed Shafeeq, Sreejith, Arun Bhaskar and Ananthamoorthy as members.
