Subhadra murder case: police record arrest of three persons

The body of Subhadra, 73, of Kadavanthra in Kochi, who went missing on August 4, 2024, was recovered from a rented house in Alappuzha on September 10.

The police on Friday recorded the arrest of three persons, including a couple, in connection with the murder of an elderly woman at Korthussery in Alappuzha.

The arrested have been identified as Mathews of Kattoor in Alappuzha, his wife Sharmila and Reynold, a relative of Mathews. The police had taken the couple into custody from Manipal in Karnataka on Thursday.

The body of Subhadra, 73, of Kadavanthra in Kochi, who went missing on August 4, 2024, was recovered from the premises of a rented house on September 10.

District Police Chief M.P. Mohana Chandran said the couple killed Subhadra for financial gain, stealing around six sovereigns of gold from her. The case is being investigated by a special team led by Alappuzha DySP M.R. Madhu Babu.

Both Subhadra and Sharmila had known each other for quite some time. Officials said the elderly woman reached the rented house of Mathews and Sharmila on August 4. The couple took her ornaments after sedating her with medication provided by Reynold. When Subhadra regained consciousness and demanded her jewellery back, an altercation ensued leading to her murder on August 7. Though Reynold was not directly involved in the murder, he was aware of the crime, according to the police.

As per the post-mortem report, the elderly woman was strangled to death. It revealed multiple injuries and broken ribs on her body.

The police launched an investigation after Subhadra’s son filed a missing person complaint on August 7. Investigators found that Subhadra’s mobile phone was switched off within the Mannancherry police station limits, leading them to the house. CCTV footage examined by the police showed Subhadra with the couple near the house in August. During a search of the premises, the police discovered a recently dug pit. A cadaver dog from the police squad helped trace the body, which was found in a decomposed state.