Thrissur: The body of Premkumar, the main accused in the recent twin murder at Padiyur in Thrissur, will be cremated in Kedarnath, where he was found dead. His relatives refused to claim the body, prompting the authorities to proceed with the cremation in Uttarakhand.

Premkumar, a native of Kottayam, was on the run after allegedly strangling his second wife, Rekha (40) and her mother, Mani (74), at their home in Karalam, Irinjalakuda. Their decomposed bodies were found on May 3 after neighbours reported a foul smell. Mani’s another daughter entered the house through the back door and found Rekha in the hall and Mani in an adjacent room. The house was in disarray, indicating a struggle.

According to cops, the murders are believed to have happened on May 1 or 2, based on forensic evidence and CCTV footage. Subsequently, police launched a manhunt across multiple states.

Premkumar was eventually found dead at a rest centre in Kedarnath. Locals who found him unresponsive rushed him to a nearby hospital, where a note and phone number found in his wallet helped confirm his identity. On Friday, a special team from Thrissur Rural Police reached Kedarnath and verified the body as Premkumar’s. While suicide is suspected, the exact cause of death will be confirmed after the post-mortem report.

Premkumar had a violent history. In 2019, he was arrested for murdering his first wife, Vidhya, in Udayamperoor by slitting her throat. He was out on bail at the time of the recent murders. According to police, he had claimed to have killed Vidhya to be with a former college friend. After his release, he moved in with Rekha and lived with her in Padiyoor, Irinjalakuda, for the past five months.

Police suspect that Rekha’s alleged relationship with another man might have triggered the double murder.