Kerala Mass Murder: According to police on Tuesday, the mass murder that a 23-year-old man is accused of carrying out in Venjaramoodu here was “brutal” and there is “evidence of drug use” by the accused.
The victims, including the accused’s 13-year-old brother, had severe head injuries, according to a senior police official.
“There is evidence of drug use,” the officer said in response to reporters’ questions about the accused’s drug use. Only after a scientific investigation can the precise nature of the medication be determined.
The police claim that Afan, the accused, killed six people, but his mother survived the attack and is still in the hospital.
Afan’s grandmother, a young woman who was allegedly his girlfriend, his paternal uncle, and the latter’s wife were among the other fatalities.
Following the conclusion of the post-mortem, the remains of Afan’s grandmother, brother, uncle, and aunt were given to the family and displayed for family members and neighbours to pay their final respects at the accused’s grandmother’s Pangode residence.
Hundreds of people, including neighbours, family members, and close friends, gathered to see the victims’ corpses for the final time, and many of them were seen crying.
The bones of the victims were then interred at the Pangode Juma Masjid in the evening.
Farsana, Afan’s girlfriend, had her burial rituals performed at her house before her ashes were interred in the evening at the Kattumurakkal Juma Masjid in Chirayinkeezhu.
Police stated earlier in the day that although it was not yet known if anything was gone, it seemed that attempts had been made to unlock the cupboards at Afan’s paternal uncle’s house.
The mass killing occurred in the Venjaramoodu neighbourhood close to the state capital, allegedly spanning three homes that were 20–25 kilometres apart.
Police stated that Afan is accused of carrying out the killings by riding his motorbike from one residence to another, although they did not formally reveal the precise order in which the killings were allegedly committed.
The deaths seem to be “cruel and pre-meditated” and not done in the heat of the moment, according to State Food and Civil Supplies Minister G R Anil, who visited one of the murder sites.
He said that there should be “no preconceived notions” regarding the occurrence at the same time.
Afan, on the other hand, was described by neighbours and family as a kind, gentle, and soft-spoken individual.
None of the neighbours or family members could accept that the accused was capable of carrying out the killings.
The accused loved his brother and used to look after him, a woman who owns a tea business next to Afan’s house told a television channel on Tuesday.
“It’s unbelievable that he did it. He was a decent young man. We have nothing but positive things to say about him. Yesterday afternoon, he also saw his younger brother, the accused. didn’t realise what had occurred until the police showed up,” she claimed.
Other neighbours and family members responded similarly, expressing shock that Afan was responsible for the murders.
Since Afan is currently in the hospital at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College after claiming to have taken poison, the police have not yet documented his arrest.
The rationale behind the killings and the weapons used to carry them out are among the case elements that police have not yet formally disclosed.
However, according to certain news accounts, Afan allegedly used a hammer to carry out the murders, and the family’s financial difficulty served as the motivation for the killings.
When Afan showed up at the Venjaramoodu police station on Monday night and admitted to committing the killings, the incident became public knowledge.