Image used for representational purpose only. (File Photo)
KOCHI: A 62-year-old man killed himself by jumping into the backwaters from the Vypeen-Fort Kochi jankar on Thursday, allegedly after murdering his wife. The deceased are Shashi and their wife Lalitha, 57, of Kuttippillissery, Cherayi.
According to the police, a family feud led to the murder. The police said Shashi murdered Lalitha by stabbing her with a knife on the head sometime between 11.30 pm on Wednesday and 5.30 am on Thursday. The incident came to light when their son Sharath, who had gone to attend a temple festival, reached the house on Thursday morning. Their other son is staying in a house in the vicinity.
When Sharath entered the house, he saw Lalitha lying in a pool of blood. Though Shashi was there at the house when Sharath reached, he managed to escape. “Shashi then reached Vypeen. Around 7 am, he boarded the junkar to Fort Kochi. When the vessel reached mid-way of the shipping channel, he jumped into the water. Though people in the junkar alerted the fishermen in the area, they could not rescue him. The body was later recovered by the fishermen,” a police officer said.
The police said the couple was having a troubled relationship as Shashi doubted that Lalitha had an affair. Fighting between them was regular in recent months. The Munambam police have registered a murder case in connection with Lalitha’s death, while the Fort Kochi police filed a case of unnatural death over Shashi’s suicide.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)
