Chargesheet filed in Chendamangalam triple murder case

The Ernakulam Rural police on Saturday (February 15) filed the chargesheet in the case registered in connection with the murder of three members of a family at Chendamangalam in North Paravur on January 16.

The 292-page chargesheet against the accused, Rithu Jayan, the neighbour of the victims, was filed before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, North Paravur. The chargesheet was prepared under the supervision of District Police Chief (Ernakulam Rural) Vaibhav Saxena. The police have included the statements of 112 witnesses in the chargesheet, while 67 documents and 59 material objects have been produced as evidence.

The police have managed to file the chargesheet within 30 days of the alleged murder. Various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for murder, criminal trespass, theft, and grievous hurt have been invoked against the accused.

Rithu allegedly beat to death Venu, 65, his wife Usha, 62, and their daughter Vinisha, 32, in his neighbourhood in the Kizhakkumpuram ward of Chendamangalam panchayat. Venu’s son-in-law Jithin, 35, was critically injured. According to the police, Rithu bludgeoned the victims on the head with an iron pipe. The accused was a history-sheeter, and personal disputes between him and the victims reportedly led to the attack. The families of the accused and the victims had lodged complaints of defamation against each other.

Rithu had cases against him on charges of bike theft, stalking, and a clash. The last case was registered in 2022. He was put on rowdy list and was being checked on a weekly basis.

The case was investigated by a team led by Munambam DySP S. Jayakrishnan, which included inspector K.R. Biju, sub-inspectors M.S. Shery, S.S. Sunilkumar, P.S. Sivadas, V.A. Abhilash, and T.S. Gireesh, assistant sub-inspector M.O. Dixon, senior civil police officers P.R. Sunil, Aneesh, Pratheesh, and Dibin, along with civil police officers Bijil, Jinumon, Shemit, Krishnakumar, Jinu Prakash, Shithu, and Aparna.