Vijayalakshmi missing case: Alappuzha man in custody, evidence collection underway

Alappuzha: A resident of Ambalappuzha has been taken into custody in connection with the disappearance of Vijayalakshmi (49), a native of Kulasekharapuram, Karunagappally. The Karunagappally police detained Jayachandran (50), a resident of Karoor Puthuval in Ambalappuzha, following a complaint by Vijayalakshmi’s relatives that she had been missing for four days.

According to police, Jayachandran and Vijayalakshmiwas were in touch over the phone. Vijayalakshmi’s phone was recovered from a KSRTC bus in Ernakulam.

During interrogation, Jayachandran allegedly confessed to killing Vijayalakshmi. He revealed that he had been influenced by the movie Drishyam, which he had watched multiple times. Based on his confession, Karunagappally police, accompanied by Jayachandran, are conducting searches in Ambalappuzha.

Preliminary findings suggest that Vijayalakshmi, who was estranged from her husband and living in Karunagappally with her two children, had been in contact with Jayachandran. Four days ago, Jayachandran reportedly asked her to visit Ambalappuzha. The two visited a temple before going to his house. A dispute reportedly arose between them over a phone call Vijayalakshmi received.

Jayachandran allegedly struck Vijayalakshmi on the head with a plier, resulting in her death, and later buried her body in a nearby plot of land. The Karunagappally police have reached the location with Jayachandran to investigate further.

Local residents reported that Jayachandran, a boat worker, moved to the Karoor area with his family about a year and a half ago. He lives with his wife and son. The police had taken him into custody on Saturday. Adding to the suspicions, the police found charred remains of clothing at an under-construction house near Jayachandran’s residence. Residents stated that Jayachandran did not have close friendships within the community.