An elderly couple was found murdered in their house at Thiruvathukal in Kottayam on Tuesday. The deceased were identified as  T K Vijayakumar (71) and Meera (65). Vijayakumar was the owner of the Indraprastham auditorium in Kottayam.

The police said the couple were axed to death. The maid spotted the bodies of the couple in the morning. She usually enters the house via the back door. When the door was found closed, she came to the main entrance and found a grinding stone in front of the door, which was open. She spotted blood stains and found the bodies of Vijayakumar and Meera lying in a pool of blood. The maid informed the neighbours, who then alerted the police. According to the residents, a migrant labourer was employed in the house and he was dismissed allegedly over a dispute.

A security cum caretaker was also employed in the house. Reports have emerged that the migrant labourer was earlier held for theft and recently he came out on bail. It is reported that the labourer who hails from Assam is in police custody as the main suspect. The police officials probing the case, however, said that he is not in custody at present.

The police have ruled out theft after a preliminary assessment. According to one person who came to the house after being alerted about the murder, an axe was found near one body, and their faces had deep gashes. Vijayakumar's body was found in the hall and Meera was found dead in the bedroom. The police have found out that the hard disk of the CCTV surveillance system installed in the house was missing. The cops are collecting footage from neighbouring areas.

Vijayakumar's son, Gautham, had died in 2017, and his daughter Gayathri is in the US. His son had died after being hit by a train in Kottayam. Family members had then demanded a detailed probe into his death. The court had ordered a CBI probe, which is currently underway.