Migrant worker beaten to death in Kerala, five arrested

Five people have been arrested for allegedly beating to death a Chhattisgarh native on suspicion of theft near Walayar, police said on Friday.

The arrests were formally recorded late Thursday night, and all the accused have been booked under the murder provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita , an officer from the Walayar Police Station confirmed. The accused were produced before a local court and remanded to judicial custody the same day.

The victim, Ramnarayan Bhayar (31) , had recently arrived in Kerala in search of work. Relatives said he had been in the state for only four days and was planning to return home, as he was unhappy with the job he got. Bhayar, a father of two children aged 8 and 10, had no criminal record. A relative described him as a good man, though he had a drinking habit, and stressed that he was not involved in any conflicts.

Police said Bhayar was attacked on Wednesday evening by a group of men who suspected him of involvement in a theft at Kizhakeattappallam near Walayar. According to the FIR, the incident took place before 7.40 pm. Bhayar was rushed to the Palakkad District Government Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.