Alappuzha: The absconding suspects in the Kalavoor Subhadra murder case—Palliparambil Mathews (Nithin, 33), a resident of Kattoor and his wife Sharmila (30), a native of Udupi, Karnataka have been arrested by the police in Manipal, Karnataka. The authorities have since returned to Kerala with the accused. The investigation team apprehended them after an intensified search focusing on Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Subhadra (73), a resident of Kadavantra Harmony Homes, went missing from Ernakulam. Her body was found buried in a house in Kalavoor, Alappuzha, where Mathews and Sharmila had been renting. Subhadra was known to visit the property occasionally.

The case began on August 4, when Subhadra's son, Radhakrishnan, filed a missing persons report with the Kadavantra police. Phone records revealed that Subhadra’s last known call was to Mathews and her last phone location was in Kalavoor, raising suspicions.

On August 10, the police summoned Mathews to the Alappuzha Mannanchery station for questioning. However, Mathews and Sharmila evaded the inquiry by fleeing and switching off their phones. Additionally, CCTV footage showed Subhadra, who typically wore a saree, walking in a churidar with Sharmila on the day she disappeared.

The investigation took an important turn when a cadaver dog was brought to the Kalavoor house. The dog alerted the police to a pit in the backyard, which neighbours had reported seeing someone digging about a month ago. Subhadra’s body was exhumed from this pit on Tuesday afternoon. It became clear that the murder was motivated by a desire to steal Subhadra’s gold ornaments. 

Further investigations revealed that gold items had been sold in Mangaluru and Alappuzha. It was revealed that Rs 27,000 was transfer from a jewellery shop in Alappuzha to Mathews’ Google Pay account.

Sharmila, an orphan, had previously lived in a convent in Ernakulam. It was there that she became acquainted with Subhadra, and the two had gone on several pilgrimages together.