Chenthamara at the DySP office in Nenmara on Wednesday.
Chenthamara, the man who sent shockwaves through Kerala by committing a twin murder at Pothundy on Monday while being out on bail for a previous murder charge, was remanded in judicial custody for two weeks on Wednesday.
He was shifted to Alathur sub-jail after the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court at Alathur remanded him until February 12. The police said they would seek his custody to complete the investigation into the murder of Sudhakaran and his mother Lakshmi.
Chenthamara, an accused awaiting trial in the murder of Sudhakaran’s wife Sajita in 2019, hacked and killed the mother and son with a machete on Monday morning.
Chenthamara appeared remorseless when the court asked him if he had any physical injuries. He beseeched the court to hasten his conviction, and said that he would be ashamed only in front of his daughter and son-in-law. He said his daughter is an engineer and son-in-law a cop.
The police claimed in the court that the murder was a premeditated one carried out with deliberate calculations, for which he procured a machete well in advance. They said he appeared satisfied in having exacted revenge on his neighbours.
District Police Chief V. Ajit Kumar said here on Wednesday that Chenthamara had harboured animosity towards Sudhakaran’s family and that he had meticulously planned the murder. He believed Sudhakaran’s family was responsible for his wife’s estrangement, said the Mr. Kumar.
He said that Chenthamara believed that he possessed the power of a tiger and he paid attention to minute details while chalking out the murder.
Chenthamara had worked as a security guard in a quarry in Kozhikode after securing bail, and he returned to Nenmara when he lost his job. Mr. Kumar said that Chenthamara stayed in his house for a month, and it was not clear if anyone else had helped him.
After committing the twin murder, Chenthamara escaped to Pothundi hills. Mr. Kumar said Chenthamara had better knowledge of the hill topography and he stayed there for over a day observing the police.
He came down the hill when he felt hungry on Tuesday evening, and was arrested. Mr. Kumar said that the police ensured the safety of the accused.
Published – January 29, 2025 09:09 pm IST
