E-Paper
Accused held, debt likely reason for murders: Police
Kerala police arrested 23-year-old Afan for murdering five family members, citing financial debt as a possible motive. His mother was injured but survived.
The Kerala police arrested 23-year-old Afan on Thursday in connection with the murders of five people, including four members of his family, near Venjaramoodu in Thiruvananthapuram district and said that the family’s mounting debt might have spurred him to commit the gruesome murders.
Afan, a resident of Perumala in Pullampara panchayat, surrendered before the Venjaramoodu police on Monday evening confessing to have killed six people. Police subsequently found bodies of his grandmother, younger brother, uncle, aunt and his girlfriend across three houses the same night. He also attacked his mother but she was found alive by the police who rushed her to hospital.
Meanwhile, the accused, who spoke of having consumed poison, was admitted to the Medical College hospital where he was under treatment.
“We arrested Afan on Thursday in connection with the murder of his grandmother Salma Beevi in Pangode. He will be produced before the magistrate and likely remanded to judicial custody. We will seek his custody later, do more questioning before arresting him in other cases,” said Attingal deputy superintendent of police S Manjulal.
“During out preliminary questioning of the accused, we have learned that financial reasons may have led him to commit the murders. It is clear from our initial probe that his family had a lot of financial debt. We can arrive at a detailed conclusion only after more questioning,” he said.
At the same time, the police denied reports that the accused was addicted to liquor. The Medical College authorities have handed his blood test reports to the police which will confirm whether he had ingested any form of liquor or drugs before committing the murders.
Meanwhile, the accused’s mother, Shami, continues to be under treatment at a private hospital though her condition has improved over the last couple of days, an official said. The official said that the police could not record her statement on Thursday and would try again on Friday.
Police said that Afan killed his grandmother Salma Beevi, uncle Latheef, aunt Shahida, younger brother Afsan and girlfriend Farsana in a span of a few hours between 10 am and 4 pm on Monday. The murders were committed in three houses in three neighbourhoods in and around Venjaramoodu.
Police confirmed that the accused hit all his victims with a hammer on their head, sometimes repeatedly until their skulls cracked. The bodies were found in pools of blood inside their homes.
Another official said that Afan’s family, comprising of his mother and younger brother, had reportedly amassed considerable debt and that his father, employed in Saudi Arabia, was unable to send them financial help due to business losses. Police are probing whether the mounting debt and the pressure of their lenders forced the accused to commit the gruesome murders, the official added.
