Man gets double life term for murder of wife

Kottayam: The Alappuzha additional sessions court 2 on Monday awarded double life imprisonment to a man who stabbed his wife to death on a public road. Rajesh Kumar, 47, a Cherthala native, was sentenced by the additional sessions court 2 judge S Bharathy. The convict was an employee of the water transport department. The court also slapped a fine of Rs 2 lakh on him.For the murder, he received life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1 lakh, and for robbery, another life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1 lakh. The court also ordered the govt to provide necessary financial assistance to the children of the victim, Ambili, aged 17 and 15, under the Kerala Victim Compensation Scheme. Ambili's father, C P Babu, who was a witness, passed away during the trial. On May 18, 2024, Ambili, a collection agent at the Thirunelloor Service Cooperative Bank, was stabbed to death by Rajesh. The incident took place when Rajesh stopped Ambili while she was returning on her scooter after collecting money from the area. A family dispute triggered the murder.The attack took place south of the Pallippuram Pallichanda Junction. While Ambili was collecting money from shops, Rajesh arrived on a bike, got into an argument with her, and stabbed her in the back and neck. He continued to stab her 17 times until she fell and died, with the fatal wound severing a nerve in her neck. Despite being rushed to a nearby private hospital, her life could not be saved. After the incident, Rajesh fled with the collection money but was later apprehended by police at a bar. Rajesh and Ambili were having disputes for some time, and Rajesh previously attempted to attack her. Police resolved this complaint but the attack followed shortly after. The couple had a love marriage, and due to the disputes, Ambili was staying at her own home with their two children.Rajesh's bail applications were rejected in the trial court, high court and Supreme Court. Subsequently, witnesses and scientific-medical evidence were presented. Additional govt pleader and public prosecutor S A Sreemon appeared for the prosecution.