The police on Thursday arrested P. Santhosh, 46, a resident of Mavichal, in connection with the murder of V. Sinoj, 43, a construction worker whose body was found lying in a field near here.
The incident took place on June 21.
P.P. Sadanandan, Kannur Town DySP, who is investigating the case, said Sinoj was killed during a dispute over the installation of a shelter in front of Santhosh’s house.
Sinoj and others used to sit in this shelter at night. On the day of the incident, the shelter was demolished by someone, but Sinoj and the team reconstructed it. On the same night, Sinoj was murdered.
The police received CCTV footage which showed Sinoj coming to the place on the day of the incident. Santosh took the keys of Sinoj's bike and both had an altercation over it.
The cause of death was an injury on the neck, the police said, adding that the keys of the bike were recovered from the spot the day after the body was found. Santosh too had sustained minor injuries in the scuffle. A forensic examination had revealed that the hair obtained from the palm of the deceased belonged to the accused, the police said.
Meanwhile, Santosh’s brother P. Suresh Babu told media that the police had tortured and forced his brother to make a confession. A complaint has been lodged with the SP and the DGP, he said.
