Jayakrishnan and his wife Seela lived in Puthur, Palakkad district, with their two daughters. One daughter was married to a Gulf expatriate, and the other was studying engineering in Coimbatore. Jayakrishnan ran a tire shop while Seela managed a mobile phone shop.

On March 23, 2010, at around 1 PM, their daughter in Coimbatore called her mother’s phone repeatedly. When no one answered, she called her father. Jayakrishnan was still at his shop. Concerned, he rushed home.

The front door was locked from inside. Peering through a window, Jayakrishnan saw his mother-in-law lying on the floor in an unnatural position. He entered through the back door and discovered a horrifying scene. Seela lay on the floor with her throat slashed, and her mother was unconscious from severe blows to the head.

Seela was declared dead at the hospital. Her mother survived but was in critical condition. Gold ornaments and cash were missing from the house, along with three mobile phones. The kitchen knife used in the attack was from the house itself, indicating the perpetrators had not come prepared to kill.

Police investigation led to three accused: Kanagaraj, Manikandan, and Sampath. Sampath had worked at Jayakrishnan’s tire shop for just two weeks and knew the family’s routine and where valuables were kept. On March 23, when they believed the house would be empty, they broke in, only to find Seela and her mother present. When Seela regained consciousness and recognized Sampath, he slit her throat to silence her.

During transfer from Coimbatore to Palakkad, police officers brutally beat the accused in custody. Sampath died from the injuries sustained during the beating, leading to a second case — a custodial death case investigated by the CBI. Around 15 police officers were implicated.

In the murder case, Kanagaraj was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Sessions Court, which was upheld by the High Court. Manikandan was acquitted as he had only stood guard outside and was not directly involved in the murder.