Neighbours of the Perumbavoor murder victim breathed a sigh of relief following the arrest of an Assam native in connection with the murder.
Shijo, 36, stood by, watching a police team search the backyard of the victim’s house. “Glad that the two-month ordeal is finally over,” he said.
He said almost all men in the locality had been interrogated by the police. However, Sabu, a neighbour of the victim, suffered the most after the victim’s mother reportedly named him as the assailant.
“The loss suffered by him and his family is enormous. A section of the media even named him the accused,” Shijo said.
Siji Saju, ward member, aired similar views. “Just because my cousin had some issues with the woman’s mother, fingers were pointed at me, alleging attempts to protect the accused,” she said.
Now, shadow over migrant workers
While the arrest came as a relief to the local residents, it has cast a shadow over migrant workers in the area. “I don’t want to be in trouble and decided to evict my tenants,” said George Kadambadam, who had rented out one of his houses to workers from West Bengal.
Several others too blamed migrant labourers for the rise in crime cases in and around Perumbavoor.
“We were leading a peaceful life here. These people turned it around,” said an elderly resident of the area.
