In yet another shocking crime that Kerala has witnessed lately, a 37-year-old man was stabbed to death by a group of men in Poochakkal, near Cherthala in Alappuzha district, in the wee hours of Sunday, September 12. The deceased has been identified as Vipil Lal. According to the police, the crime happened during a brawl over an inappropriate message received by Vipin’s friend’s sister. “The brawl happened over a WhatsApp voice message as per the preliminary probe,” a police official from the Poochakkal police station told TNM. Vipin was a friend of the brother of the woman who had received the inappropriate message. The crime presumably involves the person who sent the message.
Vipin Lal owned a lorry that collects and disposes waste, and was the driver too. “The crime happened around 12.30 am. In the First Information Report (FIR), five people have been named as accused,” the police official added. Though television reports suggested that a person named Sujith has been arrested in connection with the crime, the police haven’t confirmed this.
Though Vipin was rushed to a private hospital in Cherthala, he succumbed to his injuries there. The police have started the inquest procedure and Vipin’s body will be shifted to the Government Medical College Hospital in Vandanam in Alappuzha for an autopsy.
Recently, the body of Sindhu, a 44-year-old woman, was found buried underneath a newly built mud stove inside the kitchen of her neighbour’s house at Panickankudy in Idukki district of the state. Days after the murder, investigation by the police revealed that Sindhu was buried alive by her neighbour Manikkunnel Benoy, the accused in the case. The crime happened on August 11 and the body was recovered in September.