Kochi: What began as an ordinary early-morning shift for Harithakarma Sena worker K J Mani turned into the most terrifying moment of her 15 years on the job. At 6.30 am on Saturday, while bending down to pick up a garbage bucket outside a house in Konthuruthy, she peered through the gaps of a closed gate and saw something that froze her in place. The houseowner, 65-year-old K K George, was sitting on the tiled corridor floor, and beside him, the body of a woman lying motionless with her head covered by a plastic sack. 

Mani, who had arrived with her husband Girijan and son Devilal for the day’s routine garbage collection after starting from Kumbalangi around 3 am, said she instantly felt something was terribly wrong. 

“George, who seemed intoxicated and very tired, looked at me and asked, ‘Mani, can you come and help me get up?’ I was shocked to see the woman lying there. Then I realised she was dead. At first, I thought it was his wife. I asked him who the woman was and he said he did not know; 'someone dropped the body there'. I was so scared and froze for a few seconds,” Mani told Onmanorama, her voice still trembling hours after the incident.

Panicking, she stepped back and struggled to dial local ward councillor Bency Benny. “My hands were shaking so much I couldn’t even call. I called a lady from a nearby house and she contacted the councillor,” Mani said. Her husband, son, councillor and other residents soon rushed to the spot, followed by police. “I stayed there till 9 am. I will never forget what I saw. I am still in shock,” she added.

Ernakulam South Police later confirmed that the woman, who is a native of Palakkad, was a sex worker in the city whom George had brought home the previous night, and that he had murdered her following a quarrel. 

According to the police, George had been alone for two days, as his wife was away in Pala at daughter’s house for their granddaughter’s birthday celebrations. The police said he picked up the woman from near Ernakulam South railway station on Friday in an autorickshaw, bought appam and chicken curry for dinner, and took her to his home in Konthuruthy around 10 pm. They spent around two hours there before a dispute over payment erupted shortly after midnight.

“By 12.30 am, the woman was preparing to leave. They had agreed on a certain amount, but she reportedly demanded more money. George, who was drunk, became angry. In the fight that followed, he struck her on the head with an iron rod, murdering her. Blood was found inside the house, confirming that the assault took place indoors,” said police sources.

The police said George panicked after the murder but was heavily intoxicated and unable to think clearly. Sometime around 4 am, he decided to dispose of the body and started searching for a sack. He walked nearly 750 metres to a shop that sells vellayappam and other food items. He was aware that it was the only shop open at that hour and asked for two plastic sacks, citing that it was to bury his dead cat.

Shopowner T K Santhosh said George arrived around 4.30 am while he and his wife, Sheela, were preparing early-morning orders. “He has bought vellayappam from me a few times, so I recognised him, though I did not know much about his whereabouts. He bought two sacks for ₹14. People often buy sacks from me, so I did not think much of it. I only learned what had happened hours when I returned after delivering morning orders and I was shocked,” Santhosh said. 

According to the police, George returned home, covered the woman’s head with one of the sacks, tied a rope around her body, and began dragging her through the narrow corridor toward the gate. “The plan was to leave the body somewhere on the road. But before he could get the body near the gate, George, who was exhausted and intoxicated, collapsed beside it and fell asleep. This was how Mani found him,” a senior police officer said.

Residents who have known George for decades described him as an alcoholic but someone who maintained a decent public image. He has been living in the neighbourhood for 35 years. His younger son works in the UK and his daughter is married in Pala. George once ran a shop in the locality but shut it years ago and has since been working as a home nurse, providing palliative care.

“He would dress well, go to church regularly. No one expected something like this from him. It was quite shocking for all of us,” said a neighbour.

Ward councillor Bency Benny said George’s wife and daughter in Pala were devastated. “I have spoken to them and to George’s son in the UK. The family will not be coming to Kochi now as the house will likely be sealed as part of the investigation,” she said.

The Ernakulam Town South Police recorded George's arrest after detaining him in the morning itself. It is learnt that he has confessed to the police. A murder case has been registered by the police. The police are also collecting CCTV visuals from the locality.  “George was heavily intoxicated. He attempted to dispose of the body but fell asleep beside it. His version claiming someone else dropped the body was false,” the police said.