A man accused of killing a woman in 2019 has allegedly hacked to death her husband and mother-in-law on Monday while out on bail in Kerala’s Palakkad district.
The accused, identified as Chenthamara, had hacked to death a woman named Sajitha in August 2019. He was arrested in the case and had been in jail since 2022, until he was released on bail. The two victims he allegedly hacked to death on Monday were identified as Sudhakaran, 56, and Lakshmi, 75.
Alathur Deputy Superintendent of Police N Muraleedharan said that ahead of the 2019 murder, Chenthamara was living alone after his wife had abandoned him years earlier. “He believed that his wife had walked out of his life because of black magic performed by neighbours, especially the family of Sudhakaran. Chenthamara was a strong believer in black magic…,” the DySP said.
Akhil, one of Sudhakaran’s two daughters, said the family had complained about a threat from the accused, but the police had not taken action. “My father had faced a threat from Chenthamara. We had complained to the police and they never took action against him. He was summoned to the police station and then released. In 2019, I lost my mother, and now my father too,” she said, breaking down while speaking to the media.
DySP Muraleedharan said a major manhunt was underway for the accused. “We have launched a massive hunt for the accused. The family had been facing a threat from Chenthamara and police had warned him after summoning to the station.”
After the 2019 murder, Chenthamara had moved out of the neighbourhood before his arrest. However, he would occasionally visit the area and threaten Sudhakaran’s family, sources said.