The Special SC/ST Court in Nedumangad on Friday sentenced all seven accused convicted in the murder of 19-year-old Vishnu of Kannamoola to life imprisonment. Judge A. Shajahan found Arun alias Paratta Arun, who led the assault, along with Sreenath, Sanju, Manu alias Shetty Manu, Lallu, Vipeesh alias Vishnu, and Rajesh alias Poocha Rajesh guilty of the crime.
There were 13 accused in the case. Accused number 9 to 13 were acquitted earlier, while the eighth accused, Suresh, died before the commencement of the trial.
In addition to the life sentence, the seven convicts will have to undergo 20 years of rigorous imprisonment under various provisions. Each of the accused has also been fined ₹1.75 lakh. The court directed that ₹5 lakh from the fine amount be paid to Vishnu’s mother, who was the second prosecution witness. His father, the first witness, and his paternal aunt, the third witness, will each receive ₹3 lakh.
The case relates to the murder of Vishnu, who was attacked and hacked to death in front of his parents on October 7, 2016. An armed gang allegedly attacked Vishnu, leaving his father Anil Kumar, mother Bindu Kumari and paternal aunt Laila seriously injured.
According to the prosecution case, the murder was carried out under the leadership of Arun. The murder was suspected to be linked to the long-running feud between gangs led by notorious criminals Puthenpalam Rajesn and Dini Babu.
Laila’s son Adithyan was a key witness in the case. He was only seven years old at the time of the incident and later testified before the court. The prosecution examined 48 witnesses, submitted 144 material objects and presented six documentary pieces of evidence during the trial.
Published – August 14, 2026 09:27 pm IST
