A wave of shock and disbelief swept across Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala’s capital, following a killing spree by a youngster on Monday evening.
A 23-year-old man, Afan, allegedly murdered five members of his family and severely injured his mother.
At around 6.15 p.m., Afan walked into the Venjaramoodu police station and ‘confessed’ to hacking his relatives to death at different locations. He also claimed to have left a gas cylinder open in his house.
Stunned by the revelation, the Thiruvananthapuram Rural police followed up on the information provided by the accused. They soon discovered two dead bodies and one seriously injured woman at Afan’s house at Perumala, a nondescript village near Venjaramoodu, a suburb of Thiruvananthapuram city.
The deceased were identified as Afan’s brother, Afsan, and a woman named Farzana, whose relationship with Afan remains unclear. His mother, Shemi, who was found badly wounded was rushed to a private hospital at Venjaramoodu.
On further investigation, the police discovered the body of Afan’s grandmother, Salmabeevi, who is believed to be aged around 90 years, in her home at Pangode, nearly 20 km from the city. She is believed to have been bludgeoned to death.
In yet another horrifying turn, the police found the bodies of an ex-serviceman, Latheef, Afan’s paternal uncle, and his wife, Shahida, at their home at S.N. Puram, around 4 km from Perumala.
While confessing to his crimes, Afan claimed to have consumed rat poison. This prompted the police to rush him to Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College Hospital.
The police believe Afan could have executed the crimes at various junctures since afternoon. Though his family is known to be financially well-off, Afan reportedly told the police that they had been experiencing severe financial difficulties due to setbacks involving his father Rahim’s overseas business in the Middle East.
Despite his claims, the police have not yet ascertained the motive for the killings. They also suspected the youth to be addicted to narcotic substances.
