The Kerala police on Friday, September 20, booked a man for allegedly stabbing his daughter’s 19-year-old male friend to death. The deceased, identified as Arun Kumar, a native of Eravipuram in Kollam district, was working in the Gulf and came back to his home recently. The accused, 46-year-old Prasad, surrendered before the Sakthikulangara police and is currently under custody at the Kollam West police station. 

Prasad’s 17-year-old daughter reportedly lived in their relative’s house and Arun’s relative said that the girl and Arun were in a romantic relationship and that he visited the house upon her invitation. After learning of Arun’s visit, Prasad and Arun allegedly got into an argument over the phone. Later, they met at Irattakada on Friday evening, and the quarrel reportedly ended in the murder. The incident took place at 6.30 pm in the courtyard of the accused's wife's elder sister's house near Irattakkada junction.

The Kollam West police registered a First Information Report (FIR) and booked Prasad under Section 109 (offence of attempting to commit murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. According to the FIR, animosity arose after Arun allegedly attempted to take Prasad's daughter away from the house. “The accused stabbed Arun with a knife in the chest with the intention and preparation to kill him,” the FIR read. Arun was rushed to the nearby hospital immediately, but he could not be saved.

Arun’s father alleged before the media that Prasad used to threaten to kill Arun. Meanwhile, Arun’s mother’s sister Sandhya said that it was a faith-based killing. She alleged that Arun Kumar and Prasad’s daughter have been in a romantic relationship since she was in eighth class. “Initially, Prasad was fine with the relationship. However, he later refused to get them married because we are from a different faith,” Sandhya alleged. Prasad’s is a practising Hindu family, and Arun Kumar hails from a Christian family.

However, the Kollam West police denied these allegations. “We have not found any faith-based angle to the killing as of now. The motive of the crime seems to be that Arun met Prasad’s daughter in her relative’s house,” said the Station House Officer.