A woman from Kannur district who had been absconding in a sensational abduction and murder case was arrested on Sunday upon her arrival from abroad at Karipur International Airport, police said.
The accused, Liba Makkepeyal Kunnath (43), a native of Ulikkal in Kannur, was taken into custody after a lookout circular issued against her alerted authorities. A police team later formally arrested her and brought her to Kozhikode.
Liba is among the accused in the murder of Hemachandran, a native of Sultan Bathery, who went missing in 2024. His body was later recovered from a forest area in Cherambadi in Tamil Nadu.
According to investigators, Liba allegedly lured Hemachandran near Kozhikode Medical College, following which he was abducted and taken to a house in Wayanad. Police said he was subsequently killed, and his body was buried in the forest area.
During the probe into the missing-person case, police tracked the accused using call data records. The body was later exhumed and identified as Hemachandran through a DNA test conducted in 2025.
Officials said Liba had fled the country before the arrest of the other accused. She was detained immediately upon her return to India. She was taken to the Kozhikode Medical College Police Station.
Investigators believe the crime may have stemmed from disputes involving the prime accused, P Noushad of Pazhupathur in Wayanad. Hemachandran had reportedly been staying in a rented house in Kozhikode to manage his chit fund business.
With Liba’s arrest, all six accused in the case are now in custody. Police had earlier filed a chargesheet against them. She is expected to be produced before a court for remand proceedings.
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