Jewellery shop owner near Pala dies after being set ablaze over financial dispute

K.P. Ashokan, 54, the owner of Kannanatt Jewellery at Ramapuram, near Pala, in Kottayam succumbed to burn injuries on Sunday, a day after he was set on fire following a financial dispute.

The accused has been identified as Thulaseedasan alias Hari, a cement trader operating out of a building owned by Ashokan. According to the police, a financial dispute between Ashokan and Thulaseedasan culminated in the fatal attack. The incident occurred around 10.30 a.m. on Saturday when the accused barged into the victim’s jewellery store at Ramapuram Junction, poured kerosene on him and set him ablaze.

Ashokan, who sustained 85% burns, was initially rushed to a private hospital in Pala and later shifted to the Kottayam Medical College Hospital, where he died during treatment.

Following the attack, the accused fled the scene but later surrendered at the Ramapuram police station. He was initially charged with attempted murder and remanded in judicial custody. With Ashokan’s death, the charges will now be upgraded to murder.