The murder of a woman in a rubber farm at Vadattupara near Kothamangalam on Wednesday was committed allegedly when the victim resisted sexual advances by the accused, the police said.
The body of Mary, 53, was found with a slit throat in the rubber farm near her house on Wednesday morning. The Kuttampuzha police arrested Kunju Mohammed, 63, a rubber-tapping worker employed by the victim’s husband Mathachan, who reportedly confessed to the crime.
“We do not find any other motive behind the crime. The accused is believed to have made sexual advances towards the victim, which met with stiff resistance, following which the former stabbed her with a knife,” said Inspector T.A. Younus.
According to the police, the accused saw Mathachan leave the house. The victim’s daughter, a nurse, was yet to return from night duty. The accused was aware that Mary was alone in the house and decided to make the move.
After the crime, Mohammed reached Edathattapady Junction on foot and took an autorickshaw to Kothamangalam. “He went to a couple of shops at Kothamangalam. At one shop, the knife he had used for the murder fell down accidentally, drawing the attention of the shop owner and a few others. He said he had bought the knife for sharpening,” said Mr. Younus. Mohammed was intercepted by the police at Keerampara.