Chenthamara (file image)
A court in Palakkad, Kerala, on Tuesday (October 14, 2025) convicted Chenthamara, the accused in the high-profile Pothundy twin murder case, for a previous murder committed over six years ago.
Additional District and Sessions Judge-IV Kenneth George found him guilty of killing his neighbour Sajita, 35, in 2019. The court ruled that all charges against him, including murder, destruction of evidence and house trespass, were proven.
The court will deliver the sentence on Thursday (October 16, 2025).
When the judge asked for his statement, Chenthamara replied in the negative. He stayed calm and indifferent throughout the hearing and while leaving.
The murder took place on August 31, 2019. Chenthamara suspected Sajita and another neighbour, Pushpa, of causing his wife’s desertion.
He killed Sajita when she was alone at home. Her children were at school and her husband Sudhakaran, a lorry driver, was in Tamil Nadu. Armed with a machete, he hacked her while she was cooking in the kitchen. He fled into the Nelliyampathy forests after confirming her death.
While out on bail on January 27, 2025, Chenthamara hacked Sudhakaran and his mother, Lakshmi, to death at their house, replicating the 2019 murder method.
The twin murders shocked Kerala, drawing sharp criticism of the police for not preventing them. After killing the mother-son duo, Chenthamara escaped to the hills and was arrested the following day.
Sajita’s daughters, Atulya and Akhila, were present in court for the verdict on Tuesday. They had previously expressed safety concerns if Chenthamara was released on bail and had called for the harshest penalty.
Soon after the Sajita murder verdict, the court is expected to start the trial in the twin-murder case against Chenthamara.
Published – October 14, 2025 02:00 pm IST
