Kollam cashew inspector shot dead by robbers in Ghana

An employee of a cashew factory near here, on an inspection visit in Ghana, was shot dead by two persons late Thursday night.

The intruders, who were coming out of the house of Rajesh Muraleedharan, 27, in the Western Region of Ghana, shot him dead from point blank range without any provocation as he, along with his colleague Suneesh, just returned home at 11. 30 p.m., said Babu Oommen, managing director of Alphonsa Cashew at Puthur. Suneesh, however, managed to escape.

The two armed men then decamped with the money kept in the house. Mr. Oommen said, adding it was not a big amount. According to his information, one of the killers has been nabbed by the police. Rajesh, a quality inspector, had been in Ghana since January along with Suneesh. Their duty was to inspect the quality of the raw cashew purchased from plantations of that country. They were staying in the rented house in the Western Region of Ghana, which has a large concentration of cashew plantations.

Rajesh had been going to Ghana for the past three years and would stay there for about six months from January till the end of the season. Rajesh, a bachelor, was a resident of Kottarakara and Suneesh hails from Anchal.

Mr. Oommen said the Indian High Commission in Ghana was informed of the incident. It is expected that the body will reach here by Wednesday.