The accused in the brutal murder of Neethu, a 22-year old who was burnt to death in her home in Chiyyaram of Thrissur, was sentenced with life imprisonment and Rs 5 lakh fine. The incident happened in April 2019. Neethu, an engineering student from Thrissur, died after being stabbed 12 times and set ablaze by Nidheesh. Nidheesh had broken into Neethu's house in the wee hours of the day, carrying petrol and a knife to kill her.

The verdict was pronounced by the Thrissur district principal sessions court on Monday. Nidheesh, a native of Vadakkekad, was caught by locals and handed over to the police while he was trying to flee from the crime scene. He had also stabbed Neethu several times before setting her ablaze.

Neethu was a student at Axis Engineering College in Kodakara. She was living with her aunt and grandparents as her mother had died a few years ago and her father had remarried.

27-year-old Nidheesh worked at a BPO (Business Processing Outsourcing) centre in Kochi. The police said that he wanted to kill Neethu because she rejected his marriage proposal.  Around 7 am on April 4, 2019, Nidheesh brought a knife and petrol to Neethu's house planning to accost and kill her. He parked his two-wheeler outside her house and went inside to meet her. The police said that he attacked her with the knife multiple times when an argument ensued and then set her on fire. Though Neethu's grandmother tried to stop Nidheesh, he pushed her aside.

Neethu was rushed to the hospital but she died en route. When Nidheesh tried to escape from the scene, the locals caught him and beat him up. He was unconscious when he was handed over to the police.

Following the enquiry, the charge sheet was filed within 90 days by the police. The investigation was conducted by the Crime Branch team headed by CB Sreenivasan.