Elderly man beaten to death in Kasaragod; nephew taken into custody

Kasaragod: An elderly man was allegedly beaten to death by his nephew, who had been showing signs of mental illness for the past several months, at Kinanoor-Karinthalam panchayat near Nileshwar. The deceased has been identified as K Kannan (80) of Chittamoola Unnathi at Kumbalappally.

Nileshwar Police have arrested the accused K Sreedharan (45), who is also Kannan's neighbour. According to officials, Sreedharan attacked Kannan from behind with a stick at his residence around 5 pm on Sunday. At the time, only Kannan and his wife, Putharichi, were at home. Believing the injury on the back of his head to be minor, they did not seek immediate help. Over an hour later, another relative who visited the house realised the wound was serious and decided to take Kannan to the hospital. He died on the way, police said.

After the attack, Sreedharan climbed a coconut tree, jumped onto the terrace of his house next door, and threatened to kill himself. Police managed to calm him down and bring him to safety before taking him into custody.

It was reportedly not the first time he had behaved erratically. On April 6 this year, he had climbed onto a neighbour’s terrace and threatened to end his life unless he was given parotta and beef. Residents had to summon Fire and Rescue personnel, who eventually managed to bring him down, but only after fulfilling his demand. Residents said Sreedharan was often seen leaping from coconut trees onto the terraces of nearby houses, a behaviour they had come to regard as eccentric but largely harmless.

Police said the motive behind Sunday’s attack remains unclear. A team led by Station House Officer Inspector Nibin Joy reached the spot and began an investigation. Kannan's body has been sent for autopsy.

The deceased is survived by his wife and sons, Sashi, Chandran, and Jayan.