Man Fakes Suicide Pact, Murders Woman To Hide Affairs From Wife In Kerala’s Kozhikode
Vaishakhan had attempted to destroy CCTV footage at the scene to mislead the investigation, but the police successfully retrieved the data.
Published : January 27, 2026 at 1:27 PM IST
Kozhikode: In a chilling turn of events, the Elathur police in Kerala’s Kozhikode have confirmed that the death of a 26-year-old woman, who was found hanging at a workshop in Malikadavu, was a meticulously planned murder, police said on Tuesday.
The police officials said that the investigation revealed that the accused, identified as 36-year-old Vaishakhan, a married man who lives with his family, allegedly lured the woman to his workshop under the pretext of a suicide pact, only to murder her to end their relationship. Following a detailed interrogation, Vaishakhan was taken into custody and subsequently arrested after he confessed to the crime.
T.K. Ashraf, the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Kozhikode Town, while briefing the media, said that the accused was driven by the fear that his wife would eventually discover the affair, which prompted him to orchestrate the killing. The ACP further said that Vaishakhan had attempted to destroy CCTV footage at the scene to mislead the investigation, but the police successfully retrieved the data, which became a cornerstone of the evidence.
The brutal incident occurred on Saturday, January 24, around noon at the workshop owned by the accused. According to the police, Vaishakhan summoned the woman, who is also a distant relative, to the location and convinced her that they could no longer continue their relationship due to mounting social pressure.
He allegedly manipulated her by claiming he could not live without her and suggested they end their lives together in a "death pact." Under this deception, they both placed nooses around their necks while standing on separate stools.
However, in a calculated move, Vaishakhan stepped down from his stool and kicked away the one the woman was standing on, causing her to succumb to strangulation while he remained unharmed. Initially, the local community and the woman’s relatives suspected it to be a case of suicide. The accused also maintained an attitude that gave no suspicion.
However, the police grew suspicious of his behaviour and conducted a thorough forensic analysis. Ashraf added that the breakthrough in the case came from a combination of the post-mortem report findings and the recovered CCTV footage, which clearly pointed toward foul play and contradicted the suicide narrative.
The police further revealed a darker history to the relationship, noting that Vaishakhan had been involved with the victim since she was a minor. Consequently, the Elathur police have charged him with murder along with stringent sections of the POCSO Act.
The accused is set to be produced before the court, and the police intend to seek his custody for a spot evidence collection at the crime scene to further strengthen the case and reconstruct the events as they unfolded on the day of the murder.
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