Three rowdy sheeters among four accused held for Vanchiyoor murder

The gang of four persons, arrested on Monday on charges of murdering a man in broad daylight in Thiruvananthapuram's Vanchiyoor on Sunday, includes three rowdy-sheeters, police has said.

The incident occurred around 2 pm on Sunday on Chambakkad-Nalumukku Road in Vanchiyoor. The police said the accused, all neighbours of the victim, Visakh, had attacked him with sharp weapons, inflicting multiple stab injuries to his hands and legs with the intention of killing him. The accused — Pathu Pradeep, Rasim Khan, Shiva Prasad and Vineeth — were arrested on Monday.

According to police, Visakh had allegedly attempted to murder Pradeep about a year ago, following which a case was registered against him. He was remanded in judicial custody and later released on bail. Police said the previous enmity arising from a property dispute between the two led to the latest attack.

"A verbal spat with a relative was the immediate provocation for the altercation that broke out on Sunday," Shangumugham Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Alexander Thankachen said at a press briefing on Monday.

Meanwhile, the victim's family alleged police negligence, claiming that adequate action was not taken despite repeated threats to Visakh's life. However, police denied the allegations.

According to the ACP, a petition had earlier been submitted in connection with the cases and countercases arising from the property dispute between the two sides. However, police could not register a case at the time due to lack of evidence, and the matter was instead recorded as a Community Mediation Proceedings (CMP). Later, following the court's direction, a case was registered and was currently under investigation.

"However, as part of that case, the victim's mother herself had submitted a signed statement stating that there was no threat to Visakh's life and that no further police action was required," the ACP said.

The ACP also said the accused had a history of criminal and anti-social activities, with at least three of them having history sheets registered against them.

The first accused, Pathu Pradeep, had around seven criminal cases registered against him, including one under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA). However, the ACP clarified that these cases were registered before 2013 and that Pradeep had remained inactive since then.

The second accused, Vineeth, was an accused in another murder case as well. The third accused, Rasim Khan, had five criminal cases registered against him, while the fourth accused, Shiva Prasad, had around 12 cases. Vineeth, Rasim Khan and Shiva Prasad were history sheeters.

The accused will be produced before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court-XI, Thiruvananthapuram, later in the day. They have been booked under Section 103 (punishment for murder) and Section 3(5) (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.