Kozhikode man accused of killing wife's sister over affair dies by suicide

Kozhikode: A man who was accused of the murder of a 26-year-old woman in Morikkara near Malikkadavu in the city died on Friday, allegedly after consuming rat poison.

​K Vyshakan, 36, a native of Thadambattuthazham in the city, was the prime accused in the murder that occurred inside his workshop in Morikkara in January this year. According to the Chevayur police, Vyshakan was admitted to Kozhikode Medical College Hospital after he consumed rat poison on Thursday. He breathed his last on Friday morning.

​Vyshakan was released from prison on June 30 after the High Court granted him bail. A special investigation team led by Elathur Circle Inspector Ranjith K R had recently submitted the chargesheet in the case, and the Kozhikode Sessions Court was scheduled to begin the trial soon.

​A team led by the Elathur Inspector had arrested Vyshakan on January 27, three days after the death of the woman, who was his wife's sister. Initially, police received information that the woman was found hanging inside an automobile workshop at Morikkara near Malikkadavu, which was owned by Vyshakan. But later police found that the woman was murdered after being lured to the workshop on the pretext of dying by suicide together.

​The woman had got close to Vyshakan at the age of 14, after he married her elder sister in 2013. Police found her diary notes which reportedly show that she was subjected to sexual abuse at the age of 16 for the first time, and it continued for several years.

​The girl suspected Vyshakan might turn against her, as she wanted to marry him, while he believed the marriage was impractical and would destroy his family life. However, he succeeded in making her believe that he would marry her in the near future.

​On January 24, he invited her to the workshop in Morikkara to discuss their future plan to live together. But during the discussion, he informed her that he could not proceed with the plan and suggested that they end their lives together. He allegedly forced her to drink juice mixed with sleeping pills. He also consumed the juice to convince her, but had mixed only a small quantity of pills in his drink, police said.

After both consumed the juice, he pretended to be partially unconscious. When the woman began to feel dizzy, he suggested hanging to end their lives. Both stood on wooden stools and tightened nooses around their necks. However, Vyshakan suddenly jumped down and removed the wooden stool on which the woman was standing. She died within minutes, police said.

Vyshakan then informed his wife that the woman had hanged herself inside the workshop. He was then admitted to a private hospital in Kozhikode as he also had consumed sleeping pills. He was taken into custody from the hospital later.

According to the Elathur Circle Inspector, Vyshakan had confessed to the murder to his wife and told her that he wanted to forget the past and lead a good life with his family. “His regret over the incident may have led him to take his own life. We will close the investigation into the case as the accused has died,” he said.