The Special SC/ST Court in Nedumangad on Tuesday found seven persons guilty in the decade-old murder case of 19-year-old Vishnu, who hailed from Puthenpalam, near Kannamoola. The court will pronounce the quantum of sentence on Thursday.

The special court found Arun alias Paratta Arun, who led the assault, along with Sreenath, Sanju, Manu alias Shetty Manu, Lallu, Vipeesh alias Vishnu, and Rajesh alias Poocha Rajesh guilty of the crime that took place on October 7, 2016.

According to the prosecution, the gang hacked Vishnu to death in front of his parents. The gruesome attack also left the victim’s father, Anil Kumar, mother Bindu Kumari, and paternal aunt Laila with severe injuries.

According to investigators, the bloodshed was orchestrated by the gang led by Arun.The murder was suspected to be linked to the long-running feud between gangs led by notorious criminals Puthenpalam Rajesh and Dini Babu.

The murder of Dini’s brother Suni Babu has been attributed to the targeted killing of Vishnu. The victim’s family apparently maintained close ties with those accused of Suni’s murder.

Initially registered at the Pettah police station, the investigation was later transferred to the Assistant Commissioner of Shangumughom, Shanihan, who filed a chargesheet after incorporating provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

When the trial commenced, Special Public Prosecutor, Sajan Prasad flagged certain flaws in the initial chargesheet and successfully sought to halt proceedings for further investigation. Subsequently, the probe was handed over to J.K. Dinil, Assistant Commissioner of the Thiruvananthapuram City District Crime Records Bureau.

He rectified the investigative lapses and submitted a revised chargesheet incorporating additional provisions of the Indian Penal Code before the court to pave the way for the culmination of the trial.

Following the attack, Bindu Kumari and Laila spent months bedridden due to the severity of their injuries, during which they recorded dying declarations before a magistrate. Laila’s son, Aditya, who was only seven years old at the time of the incident, testified as a key witness during the trial.

The prosecution examined 48 witnesses, submitted 144 material objects and presented six documentary pieces of evidence during the trial.

Published - August 11, 2026 08:03 pm IST