Man Stabs, Kills Stranger Outside Police Commissioner's Office, Wanted To Be Jailed

A man, who wished to go to jail, stabbed a stranger to death in Kozhikode in the southern Indian state of Kerala, on Saturday.

The suspect, identified as 33-year-old Prabin Das, waited near the city police commissioner’s office for a long time before he attacked the 60-year-old victim without any provocation Saturday afternoon.

He stabbed the victim on his neck before waking to a security man near the commissioner’s office entrance to confess the crime. Das then barged into the building with the blood-stained knife. The unidentified victim too entered the premises a while later and collapsed.

Police reached the scene and saw the victim lying on the floor with deep stab wounds. He was rushed to a local hospital where he succumbed to injuries. The suspect too was taken into custody. Das repeatedly told the officers at the scene to take him to jail.

During police interrogation, Das said he was unemployed for a while and hence wanted to go to jail by any means. He accordingly planned to kill somebody so he could be arrested. Das also revealed that he was looking for a stranger or a beggar on the street for this purpose. He finally encountered one outside the commissioner’s office and decided to stab him to death, local daily Mathrubhumi reported.

The suspect’s relatives said he had left home Saturday morning saying he had a job interview to attend. Das had shown signs of mental distress earlier and had sought treatment for it, the relatives added, the Hindu reported.

A police case was registered and investigation was underway. The suspect remained in custody.

"We have launched a probe into the incident and have collected the statement of the persons who were present on the spot,” police said, adding that more details could be divulged only after another round of interrogation, the Times of India reported.