Neighbours’ dispute turns fatal, youth hacked to death in Thiruvananthapuram

A long-standing neighbourhood rivalry over a boundary dispute allegedly culminated in the brutal daylight murder of a 42-year-old man at Chambakada in Kaithamukku on Sunday. Within hours of the crime, the City police arrested the prime accused, Pradeep, 38, along with three other accomplices. The victim, Vishakh, 42, a resident of Chambakada, was attacked around 1.30 p.m. outside his house.

According to the police, the group of four men purportedly arrived in a rented car and attacked Vishakh with deadly weapons, inflicting severe injuries to his hands, legs and abdomen, before fleeing the scene in the vehicle.  Preliminary investigations indicate that the murder is linked to a long-standing boundary dispute between the neighbours, who are also believed to be distant relatives. The duo had also been involved in several confrontations over the years, many of which resulted in criminal cases.

A similar clash had occurred around six months ago, during which Vishakh allegedly attacked Pradeep. Vishakh had been named the accused in the particular case, Local residents informed the police that the previous disputes between the two families had prompted interventions by other neighbours and the local residents’ association. However, no one anticipated that the conflict would escalate into a fatal attack, they said.

The vehicle was later found abandoned at Pulayanarkotta, after which the suspects attempted to evade arrest. The gang was apprehended from the locality following a search operation. The four suspects were later taken to the Armed Reserve Camp at Nandavanam for interrogation. The police also recovered three knives suspected to have been used in the murder, along with liquor bottles from inside the abandoned car.

The police have also confirmed that the vehicle used in the crime had been rented allegedly for the attack. Senior police officers, including District Police Chief (Thiruvananthapuram City) Arul R.B. Krishna, visited the crime scene and supervised the investigation. The accused will remain in police custody for interrogation and are expected to be produced before the court on Monday, following which investigators are likely to seek further custody to continue questioning.