A day after the brutal murders of a prominent businessman and his wife in Kottayam, police have arrested the prime suspect, Amit Orang, a migrant worker from Assam who was earlier employed by the couple. The arrest was made on the morning of Wednesday, April 23, following an overnight operation led by the district police. The elderly couple, Vijaya Kumar (64) and his wife Meera (60), were found murdered in their home on the morning of April 22. The couple’s bodies were found in separate rooms, both partially disrobed and bearing severe injuries to their faces and heads.
Speaking to the media, Kottayam Superintendent of Police Shahul Hameed confirmed the arrest and revealed that revenge may have been the motive behind the crime. “Since the afternoon of April 22, we have been collecting technical data. By that night, we were able to locate him within the jurisdiction of Mala police station in Thrissur district. Our team moved immediately, and by 8 am on April 23, he was in custody,” the SP said.
He further stated that Amit’s brother and a friend were also present at the hideout in Thrissur and have been taken into preventive custody. He added that only after further questioning will the police be able to confirm whether others were involved in the crime.
Amit Orang was previously arrested and jailed for more than five months in a burglary case filed by Vijaya Kumar. “He was later bailed out by two women from Kottayam. After his release, he reportedly had some family issues and his wife left him. We suspect the motive behind the murder is revenge,” the SP added.
Police also confirmed that Amit took Vijaya Kumar’s phone after the crime. “There’s a separate investigation on that. So far, we have found no link between this incident and the earlier death of Vijaya Kumar’s son. We also have no evidence at this stage of outside help in the murder,” said the SP.
Vijaya Kumar is the owner of the Indraprastham Auditorium in Thirunakkara. The couple’s bodies were found by their domestic worker, who alerted the neighbours to inform the police.
Both Vijaya Kumar and his wife were found in separate rooms, partially disrobed and in a pool of blood. Police also recovered an axe from the house. A billhook and a traditional grinding stone were also found at the spot. Further, the hard disk of the house’s CCTV system was found missing. The absence of forced entry and the missing hard disk raised suspicions that the murder was premeditated.
In 2018, the couple’s son had died in a railway accident, a case currently under CBI investigation, and they are survived by a daughter who lives abroad.