Palakkad: Soumya’s younger brother Santosh, who was raped and killed after being thrown from a moving train in 2011, was found dead in his bedroom on Thursday afternoon.

The 34-year-old of Mullakkal House, Karakkad in Shornur had gone to bed on Wednesday night but was unresponsive the next morning. Worried, his mother and a neighbor opened the door around 1pm and discovered him lying lifeless.

Santosh worked as an office assistant in the Ottapalam Tahsildar’s office. The Shornur police, who reached the spot, shifted the body to the Ottapalam Taluk Hospital. Police later confirmed that there were no suspicious circumstances involved in his death.

Santosh is survived by his wife Nimisha and their young son Nihan. He left behind his mother, Sumathi. Sumathi, who lost her daughter Soumya years ago, is now plunged into deep grief over the sudden loss of her son. Santosh’s salary was the main source of income for the family and his death left them in a state of financial crisis.

Soumya’s murder story dates back to February 1, 2011, when she was assaulted and killed by Govindachami while traveling in a passenger train from Ernakulam to Shornur. The incident took place on train number 56608, Ernakulam Junction–Shornur Junction passenger, shortly after it left Vallathol Nagar station. Following Saomya’s death, the state government stepped in to offer Santosh a job at the Ottapalam Taluk Office, where he became the sole breadwinner, supporting his mother, wife and child.

Following the post-mortem, Santosh’s body was brought to the Ottapalam Taluk Office for public viewing. Several dignitaries including Palakkad District Collector Dr S Chithra, Thrissur District Collector Arjun Pandian, Kerala Tourism Director PB Nooh, Ottapalam Tahsildar Abdul Majeed and Shornur Municipal Chairman MK Jayaprakash visited to offer condolences to the bereaved family.