Man arrested from West Bengal for Attappady double murder

The police on Tuesday (September 8, 2026) arrested Provath Das from West Bengal in connection with the murder of a woman and her four-year-old child in Attappady.Das has reportedly confessed to killing the woman and her child whose decapitated bodies were found in sacks in the Bhavani river at Cheerakkadavu on Sunday (September 6, 2026). Local residents who had gone to graze cattle found the sacks and alerted the police.The police identified the dead as Pranitha, 25, and Johitha, 4, both from West Bengal. The identification was made based on the statement by the accused.Das reportedly told the police that the woman and child were not his wife and daughter. He said he had known them for only two months.The preliminary post-mortem examination report said the woman was hacked on the head and the child was strangled. The bodies were then cut and packed in three sacks.The police traced the accused through the sack in which the bodies were packed. The police found that the sack was used to deliver goods from Coimbatore to a shop at Kottathara, Attappady. Investigators found that Das had came to Attappady for plantation work less than a month ago and had been living with the woman. After the murder, he fled to West Bengal.A three-member team led by sub-inspector H. Harshad reached West Bengal and took him into custody. The police said they were questioning him to find the motive and whether anyone else was involved in the crime. Published - September 08, 2026 08:34 pm IST