In a breakthrough, the Crime Branch Pathanamthitta unit on Tuesday arrested a retired postmaster in connection with the murder of his wife 17 years ago.
The accused was identified as 75-year-old Janardhanan Nair of Pullad, who allegedly hacked his wife, Remadevi, to death on May 26, 2006. Initial investigations, however, were focussed on a Tamil Nadu native who had come here six days before the murder as a construction worker and eloped with a woman immediately after the murder.
A special investigation team, which took over the case in 2019, eventually traced the wife of the suspect to Ambasamudram in Tamil Nadu . Based on her statement, the team once again examined the forensic test results of the victim and received evidence regarding the involvement of Janardanan Nair in the murder.
Based on the finding, they subjected the accused to an intense grilling and he soon confessed to the crime.
The accused was produced before a magistrate.