For the past two days, the peace of the quiet neighbourhood of Thammanam in Kochi has been broken. Around one two storey home, painted in white, there is a bevy of curious bystanders, neighbours and journalists. From the ground floor, Jaleel BA, the owner of the house, flitted in and out on Monday morning, occasionally speaking to the people outside, and then disappearing inside, a sense of disbelief etched on his face. For 57-year-old Dominic Martin, the man that has claimed responsibility for the IED attack on a Jehovah’s Witnesses convention on Sunday that killed three people and injured at least 50 others, was his first floor tenant. “It is hard to believe that he could have done something like this,” Jaleel said.
Also read: ‘Their teachings are seditious’, says man who took responsibility for Kerala blast
Martin, his wife and son, Jaleel said, began renting the two bedroom unit of his home around five and a half years ago. At the time, the 57-year-old would run a spoken English class from a rented building in Anjumuri, two kilometres away. “He was a spoken English tutor at the time, and I have seen the building where he used to take classes. He wouldn’t speak a great deal, but always seemed pleasant. He never discussed religion. All I knew was that the family were Christians,” Jaleel said. Martin’s wife and daughter are still cloistered in their home, refusing to speak to anyone.
Two years ago, Jaleel said, Martin shut shop in Kochi and moved to Dubai for work. “He told me was a foreman in a private firm there. His family continued to live here. His wife is a home-maker, his daughter works in an IT firm in Kochi, and about a year ago, his son left for the United Kingdom to study. The family never defaulted on tent and Martin kept making payments on time,” the landlord said.
{{/usCountry}}Two years ago, Jaleel said, Martin shut shop in Kochi and moved to Dubai for work. “He told me was a foreman in a private firm there. His family continued to live here. His wife is a home-maker, his daughter works in an IT firm in Kochi, and about a year ago, his son left for the United Kingdom to study. The family never defaulted on tent and Martin kept making payments on time,” the landlord said.
{{/usCountry}}Martin returned from the Gulf two months ago when his daughter contracted dengue and was admitted to a private hospital in Kochi. “His daughter recovered a few days ago but when I asked Martin when he planned to return to the Gulf, he said he wasn’t going back,” Jaleel said.
Sakeer Thammanam, the local councillor who was acquainted with Martin’s wife because she once reached out to him to update her Aadhaar card said, “She told me that after he came back, Martin wanted to open a shop in the city. Because they were a family that lived on rent here, we don’t know much about them. They weren’t very active in the community.”
Kerala police investigators piecing together the version of events said that Martin left the rented home in Thammanam at around 5 am on his two-wheeler, after telling his wife he was going to meet someone. He went straight to the Zamra International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Kalamassery where the Jehovah’s Witnesses sect, of which he claimed he was a member for 16 years, was holding its three-day meeting. At around 9:30 am, a minute into the opening prayer, at least two blasts were reported in the middle of the hall, setting off fire, smoke and panic in the hall.
A senior police officer said that Martin sped away from the convention centre, and went to Kodakara, around thirty kilometres away, where he booked a hotel room for 15 minutes. “It was in this hotel room that Martin recorded the Facebook live video claiming responsibility for the attack,” the officer said. On Sunday night, the Kerala Police registered an FIR under sections 302 (murder) and 307(attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code and under sections of the Explosives Substances Act and the Unlawful Activities(Prevention) Act.
The special investigation team of the state police formally arrested Dominic Martin on Monday evening and is likely to produce him in court on Tuesday. His arrest came after several hours of questioning by state and central agencies.
Also read: Kerala prayer meet blast: Probe points to use of ‘sutli’ bomb; toll now 3
Justin, who identified himself with one name, the manager of the Miracle Residency Hotel in Kodakara told HT that Martin came to the hotel at 10:45 am on Sunday. “He booked a non-AC deluxe room and was in there for 15 minutes. At around 11, he checked out saying he had an emergency but paid the full tariff. We have given all CCTV visuals to the police,” he said.
An officer at the Kodakara police station, where Martin surrendered, said, “He came in around 1 pm and told us he was the one who set off the bombs in Kalamassery. At first, we didn’t believe him, but when he insisted, we informed senior officials and he was shifted to the police camp in Kalamassery.”
Senior officers then arrived at the Thammanam home, searched the room that Martin used, spoke to his wife and daughter, and reportedly took away a bunch of documents. A house in Aluva, owned by Martin, where it is suspected he made the crude IED, has also been secured by the police, officers said.