Punnapra: The Punnapra police have arrested a man who had been absconding for 31 years in connection with a 1994 murder case. The arrested individual has been identified as Varghese (61), of Choondanisseriyil, Punnapra South.
The arrest relates to the murder of Stephen (64) at Ezhara near Punnapra on August 5, 1994. Varghese, the first accused in the case, along with his associates Michael and Francis of Padinjarekara Veedu, Punnapra South, were involved in the crime.

According to the police, the incident occurred when the trio, who had been drinking together, got into an argument with Stephen, who happened to arrive at the scene. In the ensuing altercation, they attacked him, causing serious injuries. Stephen later succumbed to his wounds while undergoing treatment at the Medical College Hospital.

While Michael and Francis were arrested soon after the incident, Varghese fled to Wayanad and worked there for several years as a plantation worker. He later moved to Kochi, taking up various odd jobs to survive. Fearing arrest, he avoided all contact with his family and refrained from using a mobile phone.

During his years in hiding, Varghese suffered an accident while working in Kochi and received treatment at Kottayam Medical College. He later moved to Tamil Nadu before eventually returning to Alappuzha, where he lived as a lottery ticket vendor in Vandanam.

A police team led by Sub-Inspector S Arun and Senior Civil Police Officer Amar Jyothi, along with officer Ratheesh, apprehended Varghese. He was produced before the court and remanded in custody.