13-yr-old granddaughter among 4 held for Alappuzha man's murder

Alappuzha: Four minors, including the 13-year-old granddaughter of a 65-year-old man who was found murdered at his rented home in Karuvatta near Haripad, have been taken into police custody in connection with the case.

Investigators suspect the Class 8 student allegedly plotted the murder with the help of three minor friends to steal gold and cash from her grandfather's house. According to the preliminary findings, the group allegedly planned to use the stolen money to buy a high-end iPhone for the girl and a motorcycle for one of the accomplices.

Sivankutty Chettiar (65), of Saraswathi Nivas at Kochalummoodu in Nedungolam, Paravur, Kollam, was found dead in the dining hall of his rented house near the Karuvatta Cattle Bridge. His hands and legs had been tied behind his back, and he appeared to have been suffocated.

Sivankutty had been seen outside the house on Saturday evening. Police suspect the murder took place later that night.

His daughter Sreekala had been admitted to hospital for childbirth, while his wife Saraswathi was also at the hospital with her. His other daughter, Sasikala, is abroad. Police suspect the accused knew that Sivankutty was alone at home.

The teenage granddaughter tried to cover her tracks by informing neighbours that the house had been locked for two days. Suspicious of the situation, the neighbours entered the house and found Sivankutty's body.

The neighbours entered through the open kitchen door and found Sivankutty's body in the dining hall. His hands and legs had been tied together using bedsheets and other cloth from the house. Police suspect he was suffocated with a cloth wrapped around his face.

The bedroom cupboard had been broken open, and gold ornaments and cash were found missing. The exact value of the stolen items is yet to be established.

Large quantities of chilli powder had been scattered inside the house and along doorways, apparently to mislead sniffer dogs. A police dog that reached the scene picked up a scent and ran towards the rear of the house, leading investigators to suspect that the assailants may have entered and left without using the main road.

Police also suspect the accused may have entered through the bathroom ventilation opening. Police found an asbestos sheet on the bathroom roof damaged.

Neighbours said they had seen Sivankutty serving tea to workers at a nearby construction site around 5 pm on Saturday. Police therefore suspect that the murder took place later that evening or during the night.

Sivankutty regularly wore a gold chain, and police suspect the accused may also have believed that cash was kept at the house because two houses were being constructed for his daughters nearby. Construction workers are also being questioned as part of the investigation.

The manner in which the murder was carried out and the apparent attempts to mislead investigators have led police to suspect that the crime was planned.

Fingerprint and forensic teams examined the scene and collected evidence. Police are also examining CCTV footage from the surrounding areas.

DIG Yathish Chandra, district police chief T K Vishnu Pradeep and Kayamkulam DySP T Rajappan visited the scene and inspected the premises.

The body is kept at Haripad Taluk Hospital. A postmortem examination was conducted at Alappuzha Medical College Hospital under the supervision of a police surgeon.