Couple found dead, suicide suspected; kin blame blade mafia
Kottayam: A 36-year-old building contractor, Vishnu S Nair of Ramapuram, and his wife, Rashmi (34), a nursing superintendent at a private hospital, were found dead at their rented house in Panakkapalam near Erattupetta on Monday.
Syringes were found lodged in their bodies. Police suspect the couple died by suicide due to financial liabilities.
Relatives have blamed blade mafia gangs based in Kaduthuruthy for their deaths. They claimed that staff from private moneylenders had visited their rented house and Vishnu's family home in Koodappulam on Sunday. Some men had threatened and assaulted Vishnu, who had been facing severe financial difficulties following the Covid pandemic, they said.
Police are verifying the call records of the deceased to ascertain if they faced such threats.
Vishnu was active in public life and had served as president of the Congress Party's Ramapuram mandalam committee earlier. He was the general secretary of the committee now, but he had taken a break from political activities due to financial issues.
The couple, who had no children, had been living on the ground floor of a two-storey building in Panakkapalam. On Monday morning, Rashmi's mother tried calling her but received no response. She then asked the upstairs residents to check on them. The residents found the main door open and the bedroom locked. The house owner was alerted and the door was forcibly opened. The couple were found dead inside the room, lying in an embrace.
Forensic and fingerprint experts arrived at the house and examined the scene. The bodies were handed over to the relatives after post-mortem. The funeral will be held at the family residence in Koodappulam at 2pm on Tuesday.
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