Nenmara murders: SHO Mahendra Simhan suspended for failing to act on time

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Palakkad: Nenmara SHO Mahendra Simhan has been suspended for his lapses in the double murder case. The suspension followed a report from the Palakkad SP, which highlighted that Chenthamara, the accused in the case, violated his bail conditions by staying in the station limit for a month and threatening locals.
The police failed to act despite a complaint from the victims' family. Instead of informing the court, they merely warned Chenthamara. These failures led to the suspension of the SHO.
Chenthamara murdered Sajitha in Boyan Colony, Pothundi, Nenmara, on August 31, 2019. He was released from Viyyur jail on interim bail as the trial in the case was scheduled to begin next month. Sajitha's husband Sudhakaran and daughter Akhila filed a complaint in December 2024 that Chenthamara had threatened them. The police did not act against the accused, who had violated the bail conditions. Following this, Chenthamara killed Sajitha's husband, Sudhakaran (54) and mother, Lekshmi (75), the other day.
The police detected Chenthamara's mobile phone as active in Koodaranhi, Kozhikode, earlier in the day, prompting a joint search operation by the Thiruvambadi and Mukkom police. The search revealed that Chenthamara had given his mobile phone to a former colleague, Manikandan, a security guard at a quarry in Koombara, before leaving the job in December. Manikandan had switched on the phone after inserting his own SIM card.
During his job as a watchman at Matha Industries quarry in Koombara, from mid-2023 until early December 2024, Chenthamara was a serious individual who often expressed disappointment about his family life, Mohandas, the manager of Matha Industries said. Chenthamara mentioned that his wife and daughter had cheated on him, he added. Manikandan, who received the phone as a gift when Chenthamara left, also recalled that the accused had told him about his past, including being jailed for murder and planning to kill two more people. Their relationship had soured after a quarrel, leading to limited conversations, he said.
The police team continued their search in the Mele Koombara area of Koodaranhi on Tuesday night, focusing on locating the suspect. The cops also expanded their search to Kakkad upon receiving information from the locals that they spotted the accused near a pig farm in the area.