The arrest was made during a joint search operation by the police and locals based on confidential information. Police stated that the operation was launched after receiving multiple reports about the accused’s movements.
Published Jan 29, 2025 | 1:49 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 29, 2025 | 1:49 PM
Chenthamara.
After a two-day manhunt, the accused in the Nenmara double murder case in the Palakkad district of Kerala, Chenthamara, was arrested from the Pothundi forest area on the night of Tuesday, 28 January.
The arrest was made during a joint search operation by the police and locals based on confidential information. Police stated that the operation was launched after receiving multiple reports about the accused’s movements.
“We received information that the accused was seen in Kozhikode’s Kakkad area and other locations. After checking those places, we concentrated our search in the Pothundi forest area, where he was ultimately found,” said a police officer.
Chenthamara, who was out on bail in a 2019 murder case, allegedly killed Lakshmi (68) and her son Sudhakaran (50) out of a personal grudge at the latter’s home in Pothundi near Nenmara on Monday. Sudhakaran was reportedly killed as a result of sudden provocation following an argument the previous day.
It is learnt that a team led by Alathur Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) N Muraleedharan apprehended Chantamara while attempting to return home exhausted and hungry; he did not resist arrest.
Following his initial medical examination, police indicated that he had confessed to the crime and will be produced in court on Wednesday.
The arrest, however, led to a tense situation outside the Nenmara police station. A large crowd gathered to demand the accused’s release, with the protest escalating into violence.
Protesters broke the station’s gate and clashed with the police, prompting a lathi charge to disperse them. Locals also alleged the use of pepper spray by the police to control the mob.
The police had faced sharp criticism from the public for failing to apprehend Chenthamara sooner, despite the availability of leads. The breakthrough came after he was reportedly spotted by locals in the Mattai forest area.
Earlier reports of him being seen near Kozhikode’s Kakkad region were confirmed to be false.
Chenthamara, who had been in hiding since the double murder, had reportedly been moving through forested areas to evade capture. His arrest ends the intense search operation and marks a significant development in the case.
According to the police, Chenthamara is a calculated and cold-blooded criminal. Palakkad Superintendent of Police (SP) Ajith Kumar told the media that the murders were meticulously planned, with weapons purchased in advance.
Chenthamara allegedly kept a close watch on police movements after the crime and even attempted to mislead investigators by claiming to have consumed poison. However, medical tests confirmed that no poison had entered his body.
As part of the probe, the police will take Chenthamara to the crime scene for evidence collection and murder reconstruction.
The accused will be taken into custody within a week, with preliminary findings suggesting that the killings stemmed from long-standing family enmity.
Chenthamara had hacked to death a woman named Sajitha, wife of Sudhakran, in August 2019. He was arrested in the case and had been in jail until 2022 when he got bail. He had been working at a quarry in Kozhikode before returning to Thiruthanpadam.
Police said he killed Sajitha suspecting that she performed black magic to separate his wife away from him. Shockingly, he confessed to planning the murders of three more people — his wife, daughter, and son-in-law
(With inputs from Dileep V Kumar.)
