Mother and son hacked to death in Palakkad; accused remains at large

Palakkad: A mother and son were hacked to death in Nemmara on Monday over premeditated revenge. The deceased, identified as Sudhakaran (50) and his mother Lakshmi (68), are natives of Pothundi. 

The accused is their neighbour Chenthamara (58), who was serving jail time for murdering Sudhakaran's wife, Sajitha, in 2019. Trial proceedings were about to begin for the same case when the accused was released on bail.  At the time of the incident, Chenthamara was living in his own house, violating bail conditions. 

Chenthamara had been harbouring animosity towards Sudhakaran's family, as he believed that his wife and children left him due to the family's interference, police said. Lakshmi was attacked when she tried to prevent Chenthamara from attacking Sudhakaran. While Sudhakaran died on the spot, his mother passed away while being taken to hospital. 

The police have formed 20 teams, with the help of locals, to apprehend the accused, who is currently on the run. There were reports that cops had found the murder weapon.

Nemmara MLA K Babu, speaking to Manorama News, revealed that the accused had longstanding disputes with members of the local community. "Sudhakaran and Lakshmi did not have any ill feelings towards him. However, he believed otherwise and created scenarios in his mind, thinking that these people were conspiring against him," Babu said.

"The accused believed that women in the area conspired against him, resulting in his marital problems. The search is progressing, and we are confident that he will be apprehended soon," he added. The investigation into the double murder is ongoing.