Sulthan Bathery: What was initially believed to be the sudden death of a 42-year-old man following a cardiac arrest has now turned out to be a murder, with police apprehending a 15-year-old boy in connection with the case.

According to police, Suresh, 42, a resident of the Pilakkavu Tribal Settlement, Noolppuzha, near Sulthan Bathery, was found dead in his home, with cardiac arrest suspected to be the cause of death. However, with a relative raising suspicions over Suresh’s death, police got a postmortem done, which revealed a serious head injury, raising suspicion of foul play.

What initially appeared to be a case of sudden natural death thus took a dramatic turn, prompting police to launch a detailed investigation. During inquiries among residents of the tribal settlement, police learnt that Suresh was involved in an altercation with a boy earlier. Investigators subsequently kept the 15-year-old under surveillance and questioned him as part of the probe.

Police said the boy admitted to hitting Suresh during the altercation. According to the account given by the boy to investigators, Suresh, who was allegedly under the influence of alcohol, became aggressive and attempted to manhandle him on Thursday evening. During the confrontation, the enraged boy struck Suresh on the head with a heavy hammer, leading to a serious head injury and internal bleeding. He collapsed and died a little later, police said.

A police dog squad and forensic experts examined the house where Suresh was found dead and collected evidence as part of the investigation. Police apprehended the boy and later produced him before the Juvenile Justice Board.

The investigation is on under the supervision of Sulthan Bathery DySP K Rajesh, and Inspector Sreekanth S Nair led the investigation team, which included Sub-Inspectors Jayaprakashan, Sanal and Syam Lal, besides civil police officers.