Five suspects arrested in Powdikonam Joy murder case

Sreekaryam police on Sunday arrested five people in connection with the murder of veteran journalist Joy in Powdikonam two days ago.

The arrested persons have been identified as Rajesh, Unnikrishnan, Vinod, Nandulal and Sajeer. Among the arrested persons, all except Sajeer are suspected to be directly involved in the crime. Nandulal and Unnikrishnan were allegedly among those who hacked the victim on Friday night.

Efforts are on to trace another suspect, identified as Anwar. Police believe that Anwar and Sajeer masterminded the attack. The crime is believed to be motivated by Joy’s attacks on the duo in the past.

Joy alias Vettukathi Joy of Kuttiyani near Vattappara, who was listed as a criminal by various police stations, was attacked by the gang at Powdikonam Society Junction. The gang in a car stopped the victim who was heading towards his rented house at Powdikonam. Joy was later declared dead at the Government Medical Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, where he was admitted nearly three hours after the ambush. The police seized the car used in the crime at Neyyattinkara.

The suspects were taken to the crime scene on Sunday under heavy police guard. Personnel from Sreekaryam, Kazhakuttam, Medical College and Thumba police stations escorted the accused.