A death penalty has been awarded to Jomon of Kumily, who raped and murdered a woman and her daughter at Vandiperiyar in Idukki 12 years ago. He has also been sentenced to life term in prison, along with a fine of Rs 50,000.

The incident happened on December 2, 2007, when Jomon allied with Rajendran to rape and murder a 55-year-old woman and her 22-year-old daughter. The accused had entered the victims’ house in an inebriated state and strangled them until they fell unconscious. They later hacked the women to death and then raped their dead bodies. Even though Rajendran was awarded death sentence in 2012, Jomon, who went absconding in 2007 was tracked by the police and arrested in 2012. The Thodapuzha second additional sessions judge KK Sujatha on Thursday awarded death penalty to Jomon.

According to a report, Jomon had initially pleaded innocence, however, the prosecution proved the case based on scientific evidence and awarded him capital punishment under sections 449, 376, and 302 of the Indian Penal Code.