- By Yashashvi Tak
- Mon, 06 Oct 2025 04:49 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Kerala: A 61-year-old man was arrested in connection with the discovery of a half-charred body in a rented room in Chowannur, Thrissur district, police said on Monday. The accused identified as Sunny, a resident of Chowannur with a criminal record including involvement in two murder cases in 2003 and 2005, has been arrested in connection with a murder in Kunnamkulam. The identity of the deceased has not yet been confirmed, but police suspect the killing may be linked to a dispute over unnatural sex.
On Sunday evening, locals noticed smoke coming from Sunny’s rented room, prompting Kunnamkulam police to rush to the scene, where they discovered a half-burnt body. Sunny initially fled but was later apprehended at the Thrissur Sakthan Bus Stand.
A police officer said Sunny claimed he barely knew the victim, having met him at a liquor outlet and invited him to his room on Sunday. According to the investigation, Sunny allegedly forced the victim into unnatural sex. Following a dispute, he attacked the victim, who is believed to have died from the injuries, and then set the room on fire using inflammable liquid.
"Sunny claimed he did not know much about the deceased. He befriended him at a liquor outlet and brought him to his room on Sunday," a police officer said.
CCTV footage shows Sunny and the victim together on Sunday, with Sunny allegedly luring him under the pretext of drinking. Police noted Sunny’s violent history, including his involvement in the 2003 murder of a relative.
"We have recovered CCTV footage showing Sunny and the deceased together on Sunday. He lured the victim to his room on the pretext of consuming liquor together," the officer said.
Officials said Sunny, who in 2005 committed a murder with similar circumstances involving unnatural sex, was convicted in one of the cases and released from jail a few years ago. Recently, he had been employed as a security guard at a shop in Thrissur.
The Kunnamkulam police, who initially registered the case as an unnatural death, have now upgraded the charges to murder, naming Sunny as the accused. Authorities are working to identify the deceased, estimated to be around 35 years old. CCTV footage has been circulated to all police stations to assist the investigation. The body has been shifted to Thrissur Medical College for a postmortem examination.
(With PTI Inputs)