The death of an inmate at Anugraha Special School in Kodungallur has been confirmed as a murder, with Kodungallur police arresting the caretaker, Mahesh, a native of Thiruvananthapuram.

The deceased has been identified as Sreenath (35), a native of Kannambra in Palakkad. Sreenath, who was diagnosed with autism, had been residing at the special school for the past few months. He was found dead in his bedroom on Wednesday morning.

Following a postmortem examination conducted on Thursday, doctors discovered severe injuries on his body. His ribs were found to be broken, and there were multiple signs of assault on his hands and legs.

The school, operated by a Kodungallur native named Bobby, was functioning in a rented building with a municipal license. Kodungallur police carried out an inspection at the institution.

As part of the preliminary investigation, Mahesh was taken into custody earlier in the day. During questioning, the accused reportedly confessed to the crime, police said.