Mysterious deaths in Koodathil family in Karamana: Prime accused caretaker Raveendran arrested

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An arrest has finally been made in connection with the mysterious deaths in the Karamana Koodathil family. Seven members of the Koodathil family had died over a period of 15 years. Raveendran, the family's caretaker who was identified as the prime accused in the death of Jayamadhavan Nair, has been arrested. The City Police Commissioner stated that the arrest was made in the case that has been investigated by the District Crime Branch for years.

The news about the Koodathil family in Karamana, Thiruvananthapuram, came to light after the Kozhikode Koodathayi murder case gained widespread attention. The family owned properties worth over Rs 500 crores. Forensic reports had indicated that Jayamadhavan Nair's death was a murder. He was killed in 2017. Jayamadhavan Nair was the rightful heir to properties worth crores, and the murder was carried out to seize these assets. Raveendran was arrested after being summoned to the District Crime Branch office for questioning.

The family members who died include Gopinatha Pillai, his wife Sumukhiyamma, their children Jayabalakrishnan, Jayaprakash and Jayashree, Unnikrishnan Nair (son of Gopinathan Nair's brother Velupillai) and Jayamadhavan (son of Gopinatha Pillai's another brother Narayana Pillai).

Following their deaths, Raveendran and his relatives allegedly seized properties worth crores through a gift deed. Local resident Anil Kumar and relative Prasannakumari filed complaints against this. The investigation revealed that the will for the gift deed was forged. Raveendran had previously claimed that Jayamadhavan Nair was found unconscious at the ancestral home on April 2, 2017, and was rushed to the medical college in an autorickshaw from a nearby house, where he was declared dead. However, an investigation led by Crime Branch ACP M.K. Sulfikkar found this statement to be false.

It was discovered that despite an autorickshaw being available next door, an autorickshaw belonging to a distant friend was called to transport him to the hospital. The post-mortem report had suggested that the cause of death might be a head injury sustained from a fall from the bed. Upon examining bloodstains found in the house to verify this, the investigators found clear signs of unnatural circumstances surrounding the death, which ultimately led to this arrest.