THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Jolly, the main accused in the Koodathai murders, Laila, the accused in the Elanthoor human sacrifice case and Greeshma of Parassala Sharon murder case... are the names that Kerala hears with horror. Many women have been arrested in Kerala for murder cases but they have become notorious because of the different methods chosen for the murders. Among these, Jolly, the accused in the Koodathayi cyanide murder cases, featured in the American daily ‘The New York Times’.

Kerala was shocked to hear that Jolly, a housewife with only a basic qualification of plus two, posed as an NIT professor for years, killed her close relatives with cyanide.

Jolly sent the six members of her family to death without raising any suspicion. She committed the murders in fourteen years. Though no one doubted her, in between she weakened a bit. She was caught. Tom Thomas (66), a retired officer of the education department of Koodathai Ponnamattam, his wife Annamma Thomas (58), a retired teacher, their son Roy Thomas (40), Annamma's brother M M Mathew Manjadiyil (68), son of Tom Thomas' brother Shaju Skaria's daughter Alphaine (2) and Shaju Skaria's wife Cili (44) were those killed. She committed the murders to usurp property.

Tom Thomas’ son Rojo Thomas lodged a complaint with Kozhikode rural district police chief expressing suspicion in the death of his relatives. However, the investigation did not go forward smoothly due to many reasons. In the meanwhile, K G Simon assumed charge as rural district police chief. He ordered an investigation after noticing the complaint. In an investigation conducted, the shocking details of the murder series came to light. The presence of cyanide was found in their bodies in an examination.

Laila, the devil
When the deeds of Laila, arrested in the Elanthoor human sacrifice case, came out one by one, Kerala asked whether a woman could be so cruel. They killed two women along with her own husband and another person in their quest to get property. Police said it was Laila who inserted a sharp knife into the private parts of the victims and collected the blood for occult practices. Chopped off the breasts after the murder and then cooked and ate the flesh of it.

In the meanwhile, there was news that she had planned to kill her husband Bhagawal Singh, the second accused in the case, along with the first accused Shafi. Laila herself told this during police questioning. After the first murder, Bhagawal Singh was under severe mental stress and after the second murder, Laila and Shafi were afraid whether he would share this with anyone. So, they had decided to kill him. Before implementing it, all were arrested in the human sacrifice case.

Laila was in the front to help Shafi in dismembering the bodies of the victims. During the interrogation, she explained to the police about the mutilation of the organs of the victims. When she was brought for collecting evidence, Laila stood with a smile without any hesitation.

The brutality of Greeshma, who poisoned her lover after giving him an ayurvedic medicine spiked with pesticide, was revealed the other day. Sharon in his statement on death bed, did not accuse her. She decided to kill him fearing that their relationship would affect her marriage. Sharon died after being in hospital for days as slow poison was given to him. Greeshma was still acting as if she didn't know anything. Even when Sharon's relatives raised doubts, she cried and said she would never do such a thing. Finally, everything came out in the investigation conducted by the crime branch and she confessed to the crime.

Greeshma, who had been pretending to be unaware of things could not hold back when the police presented the evidence of her Google search on her mobile phone and about the harmful effects of pesticides on the body. She then confessed to have committed the crime. With that, the mystery of Sharon's death was unraveled. The police had collected scientific evidence.

Greeshma searching on Google about slow poisoning turned crucial in the investigation. The police also recovered the evidence with the help of the cyber police which she deleted it from her mobile phone.

Sharon’s WhatApp chats from the hospital helped the police in their investigation.

The case was handed over to the district crime branch after his relatives handed over the evidences showing Greeshma’s role in the case. The crime branch made quick moves then. Greeshma and her parents were asked to appear at the Rural Crime Branch office yesterday morning. After interrogating Greeshma and her parents separately for eight hours, she admitted to the crime.

After drinking the ayurvedic medicine, Sharon, who felt unwell, repeatedly asked Greeshma for the name of it, and initially said that her mother had made it for her. The doctor of the Ayurvedic hospital in Puthennada said that it was given for back pain. Sharon's brother, who was doing Ayurveda House surgency, also asked Greeshma the batch number and name of the medicine, but gave some contradictory replies. When asked for the bottle of it, she said gave it to scrap workers. His relatives told all this to the police.

When Sharon came to Greeshma's house with a friend to get back the record book, she threatened to kill herself if he does not withdraw from the relationship. As her parents were not at home, he spent a lot of time there, consoled her and dissuaded her from committing suicide. After consoling Greeshma, Sharon went to the washroom and in the meantime, she mixed the pesticide in the ayurvedic medicine and gave her. Greeshma, who had often told Sharon that she was a regular drinker of it and when told it was bitter, she gave him a glass of juice. Sharon in his statement to the magistrate said that he drank the juice which was expired. It was his love for Greeshma which made him say like that.