Kerala Mass Murder: Fresh details have emerged in the shocking case of five murders committed by 23-year-old Afan in Kerala’s Venjaramoodu, with police revealing that he was under severe financial distress, owing Rs 65 lakh to 14 creditors. According to officials, Afan had initially planned to die by suicide along with his mother and 13-year-old brother but later carried out the murders before surrendering to the police.
Afan killed his grandmother, paternal uncle and aunt, 13-year-old brother, and girlfriend Farsana in three different houses in and around Venjaramoodu on Monday. He also tried to kill his mother, however, she survived. After committing the murders, he walked into the Venjaramoodu police station and surrendered.
According to NDTV, officials stated that Afan’s father, Rahim, lived in Saudi Arabia, and the family was facing harassment from creditors over the unpaid debt. Afan was reportedly frustrated that his grandmother and paternal uncle and aunt were not helping the family financially. Upon realising that they would not be able to repay the debt, he attempted to convince his mother and younger brother to die by suicide with him.
When his mother refused, he decided to kill both her and his brother before taking his own life. He attacked his mother and left for his grandmother’s home believing his mother to be dead. He then killed his grandmother and stole a gold necklace. He then proceeded to the house of his paternal uncle and aunt, killing them as well.
Returning home, Afan found his younger brother and girlfriend, Farsana, there. Superintendent of Police KS Sudarshan stated that he first killed his brother and then murdered Farsana, fearing that “she would be alone without him”, as per NDTV’s report.
Afan’s Mental State Will Be Examined: Kerala Police
SP Sudarshan mentioned that the investigation would also explore if there were other reasons behind the killings apart from the financial burden. He added that Afan’s behaviour remained unusual even after he surrendered. “Afan will be questioned in the presence of mental health experts, and his mental state will also be examined. It does not seem like he had any animosity towards Farsana. He had also not told her about his mass suicide plan,” said the officer, as quoted by the report.
Afan’s mother, Shemina, initially told police that she had not been attacked by her son and had merely fallen from her bed. “She was not aware of what her son had done after attacking her,” an official stated, as per the report.
Rahim, who returned from Saudi Arabia following the murders, told the police that he was unaware of the full extent of the family’s financial troubles. The father said he knew that Afan had a debt of Rs 15 lakh, including a bank loan and a loan taken from a relative. He also stated that Afan had pawned a gold necklace belonging to Farsana to repay part of the debt and that he had sent Rs 60,000 to his son to retrieve it, NDTV reported.
