Kerala ex-cricketer's son held for his murder

Thiruvananthapuram, June 10: The son of former Ranji cricketer Jayamohan Thampi, who was found dead in his house, has been arrested on the charge of murder, Kerala Police said on Wednesday.

Speaking to IANS, Investigation Officer K.R. Biju said the action came after the post-mortem report on Tuesday pointed to an injury on the back of Thampi's head and accused Ashwin admitted to the crime on questioning.

"Ashwin was drunk when the crime occurred on Saturday. While he has admitted to his crime, he says he does not remember other details as he was drunk. We are looking into the involvement of others and have questioned a few suspects," said Biju and added that Ashwin would be presented in the court later in the day.

There was an altercation between the father and son while consuming liquor.

The police suspect that Thampi must have been injured when pushed by his son Ashwin.

A housemaid told police that there were frequent quarrels between the two.

The Kerala Police had on Tuesday registered a case of unnatural death in connection with the demise of Thampi after the post-mortem report.

"We are probing if the injury was caused due to a fall or otherwise. The body was found yesterday (Monday) at his house near here. His son was also in the house but he says when he came to check his father was sleeping and he had left," Biju had said on Tuesday.

Thampi, 64, was found dead on Monday morning after his tenants complained of foul smell emanating from the ground floor where he lived.

Thampi retired from the State Bank of Travancore and was appointed on contract basis with the Audit Department of the State Bank of India.

Two years back, his wife had died and he remained upset over the personal loss.

A flamboyant player, Thampi played for Kerala Ranji team between 1979 and 1982 and occasionally kept wickets too. He also played for SBT and retired as assistant general manager.