Kochi: Key accused in youth murder detained

KOCHI: The Thrikkakara police team which is probing the murder of a youth in Palachuvadu has taken into custody the prime accused involved in the crime. However, they have not recorded the arrest so far. According to the officers, they are on the manhunt of the remaining accused among the 13 suspects in the case. According to the officers, they are looking into the angle of moral policing behind the incident.

The officers are of the view that a violent mob lynched Jibin Varghese, 33, a native of Chakkaraparambu,  alleging an illicit affair with a woman in Vazhakala. The police have registered a case against 13 persons after identifying them from the CCTV footage.

Of these, a few persons are in the custody of the police while no arrests have been recorded yet. Police officers said a gang entered into a duel with Jibin when he arrived at the residence of the woman, with whom he had an illicit relationship, on Friday night. They took him into an autorickshaw and abandoned him on the roadside when he realised that he died following their assault.

Jibin, an electrician, was married and had a kid. The relatives of the woman earlier warned him to end the affair. A team led by Thrikkakara ACP K Stuart is heading the probe.