Kerala: Woman stabbed to death in OYO room; her friend arrested

The incident took place inside an OYO hotel in Kochi. The Ernakulam Police have apprehended the friend of the deceased and he will be presented in a local court today.

Ernakulam (Kerala): A 22-year-old woman was allegedly stabbed to death in an OYO room in Kochi, following which her friend was arrested, police said on Thursday. A senior police official said that the murder took place at around 10.45 pm on Wednesday and the deceased was identified as Reshma, a lab attendant and native of Changanassery.

One Naushid, a native of Balussery, was taken into custody. He was working as a caretaker at an OYO hotel in Kalur, he said. "Naushid and Reshma met through social media. Reshma reached the hotel room to meet Naushid after getting his phone call. During an argument between them in the hotel room, Naushid stabbed Reshma with a knife in her neck. Her neck was deeply wounded," the police official added.

According to the police official, another employee of the hotel informed the cops. "We reached the spot and rushed Reshma to the hospital but couldn't save her life. Naushid was also with us. We got suspicious and questioned Naushid, following which it became clear that Naushid was the one who killed the woman," the official said, adding a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code was registered at the Ernakulam North Police Station.

Police further said that Reshma's body will be shifted from the private hospital to the Ernakulam General Hospital. "After the postmortem procedure, her body will be handed over to her family members," police added. Meanwhile, the accused will be presented in the Ernakulam Magistrate Court.

Police further said that the motive behind the murder was not clear. Meanwhile, OYO has not yet responded to the incident, which has taken place in one of their properties.