Six get life term for murder in Keralam

Six people were sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a 23-year-old man from Panamanna. The Additional District and Sessions Court, Ottapalam, delivered the verdict on Thursday in the case involving the death of Prashanth from Chavakkattparambu, Ambalavattam, Panamanna.The convicts are Vijeesh Kumar alias Kannappi, 31, Vishnu, 27, Shijil, 29, Ratheesh, 31, Mahendran, 27, and Vishnu alias Appu, 27. Judge Cijimol Kuruvila ordered each of them to pay a fine of ₹1 lakh. In case of default, they will have to undergo an additional year of rigorous imprisonment.The incident took place on the night of April 14, 2019, on the Poilakkund Road at Veettampara. The accused allegedly attacked Prashanth after he questioned them for blocking the road. They beat him with wooden sticks and iron pipes, causing serious head injuries.Prashanth remained unconscious and underwent treatment for nearly four months before succumbing to his injuries. The police had filed a chargesheet against eight accused. However, the third accused, Mohandas, died during the trial, while the sixth accused, Sajith, went absconding. The remaining six faced trial.The investigation was led by P. Abdul Muneer and M. Sujith, who were inspectors at Ottapalam police station at the time. Additional public prosecutor P.M. Jaya appeared for the prosecution. Published - November 12, 2026 08:16 pm IST