A 13-year-old girl and three other minors have been taken into custody in connection with the murder of her 65-year-old grandfather at Karuvatta in Alappuzha district in Keralam, police said.

The senior citizen Sivankutty Chettiyar was found dead inside his rented house after it remained locked for two days. Police suspect he was strangled after his hands and legs were tied with bedsheets and other material found in the house. Chilli powder was also found at the scene, while cash and gold ornaments were missing from a broken cupboard.

The investigation initially focused on a possible robbery but later turned towards the family after police examined phone records. According to preliminary findings, the Class 8 student allegedly planned the murder, while the three other minors are suspected to have carried it out. Police are also examining whether the stolen cash and valuables were intended to fund the purchase of an iPhone for the girl and motorcycles for the other minors. Investigators suspect the girl had been upset with her grandfather over repeated reprimands regarding her phone use and returning home late. Police said she had befriended the other teenagers while studying in Kollam.

Sivankutty, a native of Nedungolam in Kollam’s Paravur, had been living at the rented house with his granddaughter. Neighbours reportedly last saw him on Saturday evening, and police believe the murder took place later that night. His body was kept at Haripad Taluk Hospital, with a postmortem examination scheduled at Alappuzha Medical College Hospital. The investigation is continuing.

(Inputs from The New Indian Express)

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