Postmortem reveals woman’s death to be murder; accused arrested

Idukki: The death of a woman in Santanpara, initially believed to be due to illness, has been confirmed as a murder following the postmortem report. A relative has been arrested in connection with the case.The deceased was Shanti, 36, of Anayirankal in Sankarapandian Mettu. Police have arrested Ramakrishnan, 50, a relative of the deceased and resident of Estate Lane, Anayirankal, in connection with the case. Shanti was found unconscious in her bedroom around 2pm on May 4. According to police, Ramakrishnan was present at the house at the time of the incident, while her husband, Jaganmohan, was not at home. He had informed Jaganmohan earlier that he would be visiting the house. When Jaganmohan returned, Ramakrishnan claimed that Shanti collapsed while bringing him tea. The two then rushed her to a hospital in Pooppara, but doctors there declared her dead on arrival. As Shanti reportedly had health issues, her family initially did not suspect foul play. However, after completing inquest procedures, Santanpara police grew suspicious and sent the body for postmortem at Govt Medical College, Idukki. The postmortem report revealed that Shanti was strangled using a cloth. Following this, police took Ramakrishnan into custody, and, during interrogation, he confessed to the crime. The accused reportedly told police that issues related to the deceased's character led to the murder. The officers said further investigation is ongoing to determine the exact motive. The arrest was carried out under the direction of Idukki district police chief Sabu Mathew and Munnar DSP Chandrakumar. The team was led by Santanpara inspector S Sharath Lal.