Man, woman found dead inside home

The Kanjirappally police have launched an investigation into an incident in which a man and a woman were found dead inside their house near Koovappally.

The deceased have been identified as Shirley Mathew (45) of Morkkol and Job Zacharia, a native of Kummanam in Kottayam. Their bodies were discovered in the wee hours of Monday. While Shirley was found lying near the bed in the bedroom with her throat slit, Job was found hanging from the staircase inside the house.

Shirley, originally from Idukki, had moved to Kanjirappally around six months ago following the death of her husband. During this period, she is said to have developed a close relationship with Job. She had earlier lived in Changanassery before purchasing land in Kanjirappally and beginning construction of a house. At the time of the incident, she was staying in a rented house at Kulappuram in Koovappally.

Preliminary investigations suggested that there had been a financial transaction between Shirley and Job and that tensions arose after Job reportedly accused Shirley of being in a relationship with another person.

The deaths came to light after Shirley could not be reached by phone on Sunday night, prompting her relatives to search for her.

The police said the preliminary conclusion is that Job killed Shirley and later died by suicide. A probe is on to ascertain the exact circumstances surrounding the deaths.