Kozhikode (Kerala) | Police on Saturday said they had arrested a man nearly 25 years after he allegedly murdered his wife in Edachery.

The accused, identified as Hameed, had been absconding after allegedly murdering his wife, Jameela, in September 2001.

According to officials of the Edachery police station, Hameed allegedly strangled his wife and struck her on the head, causing her death.

Police said he went into hiding after learning that the investigation into Jameela’s death was pointing towards him.

Though police conducted searches for him in Kerala and other states, he remained untraced.

Officials said the probe was recently relaunched as part of efforts to clear long-pending cases at the station.

As part of the renewed investigation, Hameed’s photographs were circulated across the state, and the phone call records of his relatives were monitored, police said.

The investigation team recently received a tip-off that Hameed was living within the limits of Adhur police station in Kasaragod district.

With the assistance of Kasaragod police, the accused was traced and found to be working as a fish vendor, officials said.

He was brought to the Edachery police station, where his arrest was formally recorded.