The Angamaly police on Monday arrested a 58-year-old ragpicker wanted in connection with a murder case here in March last.
Rajan Nair, a native of Kasaragod, was arrested for his alleged involvement in the murder of Sathyan, a cobbler from Chalakkudy. His body was found in front of a juice shop near the national highway at Angamaly.
Investigations revealed that the accused had picked a quarrel with Sathyan a week before the incident, over the latter sleeping on the verandah of the shop. “The accused, who used to collect money from people who spend night in front of the juice shop, was irate over Sathyan declining his demand for money. The duo had had heated arguments over the matter on a couple of occasions, and Rajan had later planned the murder. He crushed the victim’s head using a heavy stone, while the latter was sleeping and fled the scene,” officials said.
Rajan, who had been hiding out in various States following the incident, was identified following an inquiry.
Acting on a tip-off that the accused would visit his native place during Onam, a police team left for Kasaragod and arrested him from his residence.