Alappuzha murder: Accused held from Karnataka

Kottayam: The special investigation team has taken into custody the absconding couple accused of the brutal murder of an elderly woman from Manipal in Karnataka on Thursday. It was Mathews (Nidhin), 35, a Kattoor native and his wife Sharmila, 38, an Udupi native who were held. The body suspected to be of Subhadra, 73, a native of Kadavathara, Kochi, was found buried in the compound of the couple's rented house in Korthussery in Alappuzha.
The murder was confirmed on Tuesday afternoon and the couple had been absconding since then.Right from the beginning, the police had clear indications about the couple's location. They were held from the house of Sharmila's friend in Manipal, eight kilometres from Udupi.
The couple will be subjected to detailed interrogation to find out the motive behind the murder. Police are on the way to Alappuzha with the accused and are expected to reach by Friday.
The information about the cash transfer, after pawning Subhadra's gold jewellery in private financial firms in Alappuzha and Udupi, to the accused's bank account was crucial for the investigation. The money obtained after pawning two gold bangles in Udupi was transferred through Google Pay to Mathews account. The visuals of the couple were also found after the examining the CCTV footage, which helped the police identify them.
The preliminary report of the autopsy revealed that Subhadra, who had gone missing on Aug 4, was subjected to brutal murder. Police suspect that she was murdered for her gold jewellery.
The person who dug the pit in which Subhadra was buried had told police that it was dug on Aug 7 and he had seen an old lady in the house that day. It was a complaint given by Radhakrishnan, Subhadra's son, that unfolded the crime. Through phone calls it was found that Subhadra had come to Kalavoor. Police also got a CCTV visual of Subhadra with another woman in Ernakulam South. After identifying the woman, police searched the rented house. With the help of a cadaver dog, they confirmed that a body was buried in the compound.