Argument over child’s assault led to double murder in Keralam’s Attappady: police

The recent killing of a 35-year-old woman and her four-year-old daughter at Attappady in Palakkad was reportedly triggered by an argument over the accused’s alleged assault of the child.Provat Das, a native of West Bengal, has reportedly told the police that he killed Pronita and her daughter, Johita. The two had been living with him at Attappady for about a month.The police arrested Provat from West Bengal, and brought him to Attappady on Friday.Pronita was the wife of a friend of Provat in West Bengal. Provat and Pronita reportedly became close and later left for Keralam with Johita.They first reached Thrissur and later moved to Attappady, where they found work at a plantation.Provat allegedly assaulted Johita for refusing to eat. Pronita objected, leading to an argument between the two. The police said Provat killed the woman and the child and later dumped their bodies in the Bhavani river.The bodies were recovered four days after the murder. Published - September 12, 2026 08:41 pm IST