The Idukki police have launched a probe into the murder of a 31-year-old man, allegedly by his wife and a colleague, at a resort at Santhanpara.
The victim was identified as Rijosh, a native of Puthadi, near Santhanpara. The police are on the lookout for Rijosh’s wife Liji and Wasim, manager of the resort where the deceased had been working, in connection with the incident. The two-year-old daughter of Liji and Rijosh has also gone missing.
The incident came to light on Thursday when a police team, acting on a tip-off, recovered the partially burnt body of Rijosh from a pit near the resort. The body had been shifted to the Kottayam Medical College Hospital for post-mortem examination.
Preliminary probe suggested that Wasim had dug a pit near the rainwater tank of the resort and buried the body. To destroy evidence, the land was later levelled, engaging a soil excavator. The police said Rijosh was reported missing on October 31 and Wasim and Liji went into hiding four days later. “She fled soon after the police collected her statement regarding a missing complaint lodged by Rijosh’s relatives. In her statement, she claimed that Rijosh had called her over the phone from Kozhikode and Thrissur even after October 31,” said an official.
The suspects reportedly left Santhanpara on November 4. Investigations also found the couple had withdrawn cash from an ATM near Kumily and switched off their mobile phones.
Video of ‘confession’
Meanwhile, a video footage of Wasim confessing to the murder surfaced after the police took Wasim’s brother and a friend into custody. There, was, however, no clarity on the origin of the footage. Wasim was working at the resort as a manager for four years while Rijosh had joined the establishment last year.
