Thiruvananthapuram murder case: Prime accused held from Tamil Nadu

Thiruvananthapuram: The prime accused in the murder of a 26-year-old man here a day ago, was nabbed, police said on Sunday.

The accused was picked up from a hide out in neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

He was taken into custody and is being interrogated, they said without divulging further details.

"An intense search operation was going on to nab the prime accused. A police team picked him up from Tamil Nadu," an officer told PTI.

The other three accused were still at large.

The officer said a person, who allegedly drove the car of the accused during the time of the crime, was already arrested by the police.

The victim identified as Akhil, was brutally assaulted with sticks and bricks allegedly by a group of men near Karamana here on Friday evening.

He succumbed to his injuries at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College hospital the same night, police said.

Thiruvananthapuram Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Nidhinraj P has said that four accused have been identified and their associates were being questioned as part of the steps to trace them.

He said the assault on Akhil was in revenge for an alleged altercation between him and the accused several days ago at a bar.

The shocking murder in the state capital triggered a political row as opposition Congress criticised the LDF government alleging that it was due to the failure of the Home Department under Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the police.

State General Education Minister V Sivankutty, who visited the house of the victim on Saturday, said the government was considering the matter seriously and steps would be taken to prevent recurrence of such incidents.