crFourth accused held in youth murder case

T’puram: Naruvamoodu police on Monday arrested and remanded a fourth accused in connection with the death of an 18-year-old youth who sustained fatal injuries during a clash at Pallichal on Saturday night. The accused, Priyadarshan, 20, of Pallichal, was apprehended near his residence. The three accused arrested earlier in the case were Karthikeyan, 21, Ajith, 20, and Aromal, 21, all natives of Pallichal. They were also remanded in judicial custody.

The deceased, Sivasurya, was the son of Suresh Kumar and Suchitra of Ayanimoodu, Pallichal.

According to police sources, the accused and victim were involved in a long-standing rivalry that allegedly originated from a football-related dispute around one-and-a-half years ago. Investigators said Karthikeyan, contacted Sivasurya on incident day and asked him to meet at Punnamoodu Road to discuss and settle the old issue.

Police said Sivasurya reached the location at night, where the discussion allegedly escalated into a heated argument and later a physical assault. During the clash, Sivasurya allegedly crashed into the glass door of a roadside clothing shop near Punnamoodu Social Welfare Cooperative Society. The shattered glass caused severe injuries and heavy bleeding.

Sivasurya was taken to taluk hospital on a motorcycle by accused Karthikeyan and Ajith. However, he later succumbed to his injuries during treatment at Thiruvananthapuram medical college. Hospital authorities alerted police after noticing suspicious circumstances surrounding the injuries.

“The investigation is focused on establishing the exact sequence of events and the involvement of each accused. Further investigation is progressing,” a police officer said.

The victim’s family alleged that the attack was premeditated.

“It was a planned murder. They were his friends and knew him well. We never imagined that an issue related to a football game could end in such a brutal attack. My son was only 18 years old and had his entire life ahead of him. We want the accused to receive the maximum punishment under the law. We will pursue the case until justice is delivered,” said Suresh Kumar, victim’s father.