Five hours, five murders; 23-year-old turns into demon

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The capital city is still trembling in shock over the mass murder news in Venjaramoodu. A.R. Afaan (23) killed five people, including his brother, who was a ninth-grade student, his girlfriend, and his grandmother, in Venjarumoodu Perumala 'Salmas'. His mother, Shemina (40), a cancer patient, was stabbed by the accused. She is undergoing treatment at Gokulam Medical College Hospital and is in a critical condition.

He committed the murders by hitting the victims on their heads with a hammer and stabbing them.

The deceased were his younger brother Afsan (13), his girlfriend Farsana (19), a native of Venjaramoodu Mukkunnoor, his father's mother Salma Beevi (88), his father's brother Latif (69), and Latif's wife Shahida (59), who were from Pullampara Alamukil, Pullampara Panchayat, S.N. Puram. The murders took place over several kilometres.

Afaan killed his girlfriend after bringing her to his house. The younger brother and mother were also killed from here. He opened the gas cylinder to ensure their death.

The father's brother and wife were killed at their house. The father's mother was killed at the Elichuzhi Puthenveedu in Pangode, where she lives.

The outside world came to know about the incident when the accused reached the Venjaramoodu police station at around 6 pm and confessed. The accused is suspected to be a drug addict.

After telling the police that he had consumed rat poison, he was shifted to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital.

Afsan was a student of Venjaramoodu Govt. Higher Secondary School. He took his younger brother to Venjaramoodu after school and bought him Kuzhimanthi before taking him home and killing him.

Afaan's statement to the police was that he killed Farsana, a native of Moorkannoor, by taking her home on a bike on Monday. The police have also received information that he had a fight with his relatives over bringing Farsana home.

Murder series started in the afternoon

The police said that Afaan started the murder series by strangling his uncle's mother, Salma Beevi, at Pangode Elichuzhi Puthenveedu at around 1 pm on Monday. The accused bought a hammer and knife to kill others with the money he got by pawning the gold necklace from her neck.

Then he went to his paternal uncle's house and carried out the crime. Later, he went to his own house and committed the murders. It was close to six o'clock at that time. He then went to the police station.

Afaan's father, Rahim, ran a furniture business in the Gulf, but he got into debt after taking out a loan. His relatives in the country did not help him pay it off. It is suspected that he committed the murders due to the vengeance over this.