Published Nov 05, 2026 | 1:49 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 05, 2026 | 1:49 PM
Krishnakumar, 49, had been living under a false identity for years.
A man who had been evading the police for nearly three decades in a murder and gold theft case has finally been arrested by the Thrissur City Police after being tracked across Uttar Pradesh and Keralam.
The arrested man, Krishnakumar, 49, a native of Vengassery in Ambalappara, Ottapalam, Palakkad, had been living under a false identity for years.
The case dates back to October 31, 1995, when Martha, 65, who lived alone at Kizhakke Kotta in Thrissur, was found murdered. She had been suffocated to death, and six sovereigns of gold ornaments were found missing.
Krishnakumar and his friend Prasad, a native of Koratty, were arrested within a week of the crime. Both were 18 at the time.
Prasad, who worked at a hotel where Martha regularly had her meals, had shared information about her with Krishnakumar. The two allegedly used this information to plan the robbery and murder.
Though the accused were remanded in judicial custody, they were later released on bail by the magistrate. While Prasad was subsequently arrested again, Krishnakumar went into hiding and remained untraceable despite a long-standing court warrant.
Investigators eventually received information that Krishnakumar had changed his name and moved to Meerut in Uttar Pradesh.
He reportedly lived there for 15 years before moving to Kundara in Kollam, where he married, started a family and settled down under an assumed identity. He worked as a welder in Kundara and managed to stay under the police radar for years.
A fresh lead from the State Police Intelligence helped investigators narrow down his whereabouts.
At the same time, an officer with the Thrissur City Police said that it was information about a distant relative who stayed in New Delhi that became a turning point in the case. That information was shared by another relative. Based on this, the police team tracked Krishnakumar to Meerut and then to Kollam.
The Thrissur City Police Commissioner consulted officers who had handled the case earlier and launched a systematic investigation.
After establishing that Krishnakumar had moved from Meerut to Kollam, a police team tracked him down and arrested him in Kundara.
The trial in the murder case is in its final stages, making his arrest significant after years of evading the law.
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(With inputs from Dileep V Kumar. Edited by R Rajesh Kumar.)
