IDUKKI: A 34-year-old tribal woman was shot dead allegedly by her nephew, an accused in a
sandalwood smuggling case
, at nearby Palapetty as he believed that she had tipped off the police about his illegal activities. The 19-year-old and two others were taken into custody in connection with the killing of
Chandrika
on Friday night at her farm, police said on Saturday.
Two weeks ago, the woman's nephew was arrested by the
Forest department
for his alleged links with a sandalwood- smuggling gang and was later released on bail.
"The incident happened near Palapetty in Idukki. The accused was arrested two weeks ago by the forest department for his links with a sandalwood smuggling gang. It is suspected that he shot the woman believing that he was arrested based on her tip off," a police official told .
Further investigations are on, he said.