Neighbours’ dispute turns fatal, youth hacked to death in Thiruvananthapuram

A long-standing neighbourhood rivalry over a boundary dispute allegedly culminated in the brutal daylight murder of a 42-year-old man at Chambakada in Kaithamukku on Sunday. Within hours of the crime, the City police arrested the prime accused, Pradeep, 38, along with three other accomplices. The victim, Vishakh, 42, a resident of Chambakada, was attacked around 1.30 p.m. outside his house.

According to the police, the group of four men purportedly arrived in a rented car and attacked Vishakh with deadly weapons, inflicting severe injuries to his hands, legs and abdomen, before fleeing the scene in the vehicle. Preliminary investigations indicate that the murder is linked to a long-standing boundary dispute between the neighbours, who are also believed to be distant relatives. The duo had also been involved in several confrontations over the years, many of which resulted in criminal cases.