Kerala - Kollam   

Two held in murder case

Staff Reporter

The arrested are migrant labourers from Tamil Nadu The arrested are migrant labourers from Tamil Nadu

KOLLAM: The Pathanapuram police on Tuesday arrested two migrant labourers from Tamil Nadu in connection with Sunday's double murder at Pidavur near Pathanapuram.

Those killed are Varghese (70) and his granddaughter Christie (7). Those arrested were identified as Ramaraj (39) and Ayyappan (34).

Ramaraj is a native of Schencotta and Ayyappan a native of Tenkasi.

Following the murder, Kollam SP M.R. Ajith Kumar and Kollam DySP T. Reghunathan Nair reached Pathanapuram and constituted a special team led by circle inspector Jawahar Janardhanan.

Varghese's house was under renovation and both Ramaraj and Ayyappan were among the migrant labourers working there.

On Sunday morning, they went to Varghese's house four times under the pretext of taking some tools. Being a Sunday, there was no renovation work and on the fourth visit the duo noted that except for Varghese and Christie there was no one else at the house.

They hit Varghese and Christie on the head with a hammer and they died on the spot.

The duo took Rs.37,000 from the house and went to a house nearby and stole some ornaments. The two shared the money equally.

While Ayyappan went to Tenkasi the same day, Ramaraj stayed back. He was one among those picked up by the police on Sunday night from the Pidavur junction for questioning. Ayyappan was arrested from his house at Tenkasi.

Money recovered

Ayyappan had purchased a TV, stabiliser and wristwatch from Tenkasi. He also presented his mother a sum of Rs.4,000. The police recovered the bills and cash from him.

A sum of Rs.18,500 was recovered from Ramaraj. Both were produced before a magistrate at Punalur on Tuesday and remanded.

Mr. Ajith Kumar requested the public to be cautious while appointing migrant labourers.

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