Ex-Councillor’s son held for stabbing man to death in Kerala

Kottayam (Kerala), Nov 24 (PTI) The son of a former municipal councillor was arrested for allegedly stabbing a youth to death following a dispute in front of his house at Manikunnam here in the early hours of Monday, police said.

The deceased has been identified as Adarsh (23), a resident of Manganam, Puthupally.

Police officials said they arrested Abhijith, also known as Vava, the son of former Kottayam municipal councillor Anil Kumar.

Police had also taken Anil Kumar into custody, but his involvement in the murder has not been established, and he was released later.

The incident reportedly took place between 1.30 am and 2 am, when Adarsh, along with a friend, reached Abhijith's house to settle financial issues related to the sale of a motorcycle, police said.

A fight broke out between the two in front of Adarsh’s house, and Anil Kumar also reached the spot.

As per the FIR, during the altercation, Abhijith allegedly stabbed Adarsh on his neck with a knife.

Police reached the spot after receiving information and rushed Adarsh to Kottayam Medical College, where he was confirmed dead, the FIR said.

Officials said both Adarsh and Abhijith were involved in multiple narcotic-related cases.

Police, as part of the investigation, examined the CCTV footage from Anilkumar’s residence, which provided a clear picture of the incident that occurred in front of the house.

A murder case has been registered against Abhijith, and his arrest was recorded at Kottayam West Police Station.

The body was handed over to relatives after the postmortem, police added. PTI TBA TBA ROH