Kozhikode: A 26-year-old man, who was on the run after hacking to death his wife by barging into her house, was caught hours after the crime in this north Kerala district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, Yasir, a native of Puthuppady, killed his wife, Shibila (23), and attacked her parents following a family dispute at their house in Engapuzha here on Tuesday night.
The young couple's daughter was also present in the house when the gruesome incident happened.
The woman died on the spot, while the injured parents were rushed to nearby hospitals, police said.
After the crime, the accused managed to flee from the scene in his car.
Police, however, tracked his mobile phone locations and traced him to the premises of the government medical college hospital here after a few hours. He was spotted sitting inside the car and was arrested.
"The murdered woman was living with her parents for some time due to alleged harassment and assault by the accused. She also recently lodged a police complaint citing threats from Yasir," a police officer said.
Shibila had filed a complaint on February 28th, alleging threats from Yasir. She had also pointed out his repeated violent behaviour, often fuelled by drug use. Despite this, the police reportedly failed to take any action.
The police investigation has revealed that Yasir was not under the influence of drugs at the time of the crime. Medical examination results confirmed that he carried out the act with full consciousness and careful planning.
According to neighbour and ward member Denny Varghese, Shibila had moved back to her family home in Kakkat with her child, unable to endure Yasir's abusive behaviour, which was reportedly fuelled by his addiction to drugs.
Shibila had requested the return of her and her daughter's belongings, which were kept in a rented house at the foothills. However, Yasir burnt all the clothes, including those of the child, and uploaded a video of it as a WhatsApp status. Alarmed by this, Shibila's family approached a panchayat member, asking for help in retrieving important documents like school certificates from Yasir.
During a mediation discussion, Yasir agreed to hand over the certificates. On Tuesday at 2 PM, Yasir visited Shibila's house and handed over the certificates. Before leaving, he said, "I will come back in the evening, and we can part ways with a Salaam." However, at around 7 PM, Yasir returned with a machete. During an argument, he brutally attacked Shibila and also injured her parents when they tried to intervene.
(with inputs from PTI)