The day after the pre-wedding celebrations concluded, a tragic incident occurred near Kallambalam, where the father of the bride was killed by four young men. Following this heartbreaking event, a funeral pyre was set up at a home.
Raju, a 61-year-old man, was allegedly murdered on Tuesday night within the premises of his house by Jishnu, his brother Jijin, and their two friends. The family of Jishnu and Jijin, who lived next to the victim, had proposed a marriage alliance with Raju’s daughter a couple of years ago, but he had declined due to concerns about the duo’s alleged criminal background, as confirmed by a close relative of the victim.
As the preparations for the wedding, scheduled to take place at Sivagiri around 11:10 AM, were being dismantled, the victim’s cousin brother shared with the media on Wednesday that the four men arrived with the intention to cause trouble after all the guests had departed.
“They initially attacked the bride, and when her mother attempted to intervene, she was also assaulted. At that point, my brother stepped in to stop them, but they mercilessly attacked him and struck him on the head with a handheld shovel,” stated the victim’s cousin.
He further mentioned that one of their relatives, who lived nearby, came to the victim’s aid but was also struck on the head. This relative received six to seven stitches on his head. The cousin also disclosed that the four assailants followed the vehicle transporting the victim to the hospital. Upon learning of his demise, they fled the scene but were later apprehended by locals in the area.
Later in the day, the police reported that the accused had confessed to attacking and assaulting Raju and his family members. “The exact motive and whether it was premeditated will be determined through further interrogation of the suspects. One of the accused claims to have had a close relationship with the bride, but due to her family’s disapproval, she was engaged to someone else. Consequently, he was unhappy and went to the victim’s home to cause trouble. It began with heated arguments and escalated into an assault on the victim and his family members,” stated District Police Chief (Rural) D Shilpa during her visit to the crime scene and meeting with the victim’s family.
State Education Minister V Sivankutty, who also visited the victim’s family, expressed shock over the incident and assured that appropriate legal actions would be taken against the culprits. He also hinted at the possibility of drug use by the accused, which may have contributed to the assault on Raju.
In the afternoon, after the victim’s body was handed over to the family, it was placed on a cot in front of the house to allow relatives, friends, and neighbors to pay their final respects. Instead of wedding-related celebrations, hundreds of people gathered to offer their condolences to the deceased. Subsequently, the body was cremated within the house compound following Hindu funeral rites.
Earlier in the day, a female relative of the victim mentioned that the bride was a postgraduate (MSc graduate), whereas the accused had not even completed his graduation. She also revealed that after their marriage proposal was rejected, the accused had threatened the victim’s family.
Relatives informed reporters that Raju was struck on the head with a handheld shovel, causing him to collapse at the scene. He was rushed to the hospital but was declared dead on arrival by the doctors.
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