Kattappana: In recognition of their exceptional investigative work, seven police officers have been awarded the State Police Chief’s Badge of Honour for cracking a shocking double murder case in Kattappana that initially appeared to be a theft.

The awarded officers include DySP P.V. Baby, Special Branch SI Bino, SI C.D. Manoj, SCPO P.S. Shibu, SCPO Sinoj Joseph, SCPO Sumesh, and CPO Sharanyamol Prasad.

How the murder came to light:

The breakthrough came during the interrogation of Nitheesh and Vishnu, who were arrested in connection with a theft on March 2, 2024, in the city. During questioning, Nitheesh confessed to a horrific crime, the murder of a newborn baby in July 2016. The child, born to Vishnu's sister, was allegedly killed by Nitheesh just days after birth and buried near Sagara Junction at Vishnu’s house.

In a chilling development, the investigation revealed that to cover up the earlier crime, Vishnu and Nitheesh murdered Vishnu's father, Vijayan (60), in August 2023. Vijayan was struck on the head with a hammer and his body was buried in a rented house in Kakkattukada of Kanjiyar. The remains were later recovered during a floor excavation at the site.

However, the body of the newborn child remained missing. The police team was honoured for their relentless work in unearthing the truth and bringing the accused to justice.

\Meanwhile, N. Suresh Kumar, who served as the Circle Inspector of Kattappana during the time of the case and led the filing of the charge sheet, did not receive the Badge of Honor due to ongoing departmental proceedings.