Satheesh, a 37-year-old man who was out on bail from a Thrissur jail, was found dead in the compound of a vacant house in Pazhayannur on Wednesday morning. An accused in a POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act) case, the man had allegedly sexually assaulted a tribal girl in Pazhayannur in Thrissur.
An official at the Pazhayannur police station has confirmed that Satheesh was found hacked to the death. The vacant house is little away from his home at Elanad in Thirumani (a village in Pazhayannur block). The investigation has begun in the case and the police have gone to the spot, he said.
Satheesh alias Kuttan was arrested eight months ago, in a case of sexually assaulting a tribal girl, reports Manorama Online. After coming out on bail, he was living in Malappuram. However, he was recently seen at Elanad where the alleged sexual assault had taken place. There are also reports of two people from Malappuram coming in search of Satheesh, although it is not clear if they had followed him to Thrissur after any kind of conflict.
The house where Satheesh’s body was found is known to be a spot where tipplers regularly gather. On Tuesday, too, there was a lot of noise from the house, the villagers said.
Satheesh was reportedly released on parole as part of releasing under-trial and remand prisoners in light of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, to reduce the congestion in crowded prisons. A High Court order in March had allowed parole to all such prisoners serving sentences less than seven years.
In August, more under-trial prisoners were released on interim bail as inmates began to test positive for the coronavirus in large numbers. In Thiruvananthapuram central prison, 470 inmates and 10 staff had contracted COVID-19. However, by mid-September, the last of the infected prisoners had tested negative and the jail was declared COVID-free.