Elderly couple murdered in Kerala, two migrant workers held

The Kerala police have arrested two migrant workers on Wednesday (November 13) for allegedly murdering an elderly couple at Venmony in Alappuzha district.

The accused – Labilu and Jewel – from Visakhapatnam were arrested by the Railway Protection Force (RPF), while travelling on the Chennai-Coromandel Express. The RPF then handed them over to the Kerala police, who recovered the gold jewellery allegedly stolen from the couple.

On Tuesday (November 12), the neighbours found AP Cheriyan alias Kunjumon, (75), and his wife Lillykutty Cheriyan, (68), dead at their house. The couple were survived by two children, who are employed in the Middle East.

The neighbours said the couple were not seen outside their home since Monday afternoon after which they alerted the cops. Lillykutty’s body was recovered from the kitchen, while Cheriyan’s near a building in the surrounding. The accused had attacked the woman with a spade, a part of which was found in the house.

Preliminary inquiries revealed that the couple had hired Labilu and Jewel for domestic works.

Neighbours told police that the last time they found the duo working in the house was on Saturday. They also added that even the milk bottle was unpicked from the doorsteps and the lights too remained turned on throughout the night.

The police have registered a case under IPC sections 302 (punishment for murder) and 394 (voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery).