Shattered skulls, splattered blood: Gruesome details of Kerala mass murder

Shattered skulls, splattered blood: Gruesome details of Kerala mass murder

Shattered skulls, splattered blood: Gruesome details of Kerala mass murder ByHT News Desk Feb 25, 2025 06:21 PM IST Share Via Copy Link The victims include the accused's teenage brother, grandmother, paternal uncle, aunt, and a young woman, who is said to be his girlfriend.

Grim details are emerging from Venjaramoodu in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram district where a 23-year-old youth allegedly killed five people in three locations and went to the police to confess the crime on Monday.

Police officials said what they witnessed when they entered the three crime scenes was one of the most brutal assaults Kerala has seen in recent years. (Representative Image)

The victims include the accused's teenage brother, grandmother, paternal uncle, aunt, and a young woman, who is said to be his girlfriend. He had also confessed to killing his mother, who survived the massacre but remains in critical condition.

Police officials said what they witnessed when they entered the three crime scenes was one of the most brutal assaults Kerala has seen in recent years.

The body of Farsana, a postgraduate student at a college in Kollam and reportedly the girlfriend of Afan, the accused in the Venjaramoodu massacre case, was found sitting on a chair in one of the three houses, with a pool of blood on the floor beneath her head.

She had a massive injury on her forehead, reportedly caused by a heavy hammer blow, and she may have been killed by that single blow, without even having time to slump down from the chair, PTI reported.

According to the report, the accused appeared to have struck the woman several more times with the hammer, as her face was disfigured.

A photograph featuring the accused was also seen placed on the table beside where Farsana's body was found, with several blood droplets splattered on it.

The accused's 13-year-old younger brother Afsan was found killed on the spot. The accused allegedly struck his brother, who reportedly had a very close bond with him, multiple times on the head with a hammer.

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Afan's murderous streak displayed psychotic patterns as he scattered several ₹500 notes around the body of his younger brother. He had taken him home on the pretext of bringing Kuzhimanthi, an Arabian meat-rice dish, for the teenager.

The accused's 55-year-old mother, Shemi, is undergoing treatment at a medical college hospital after being pulled to the floor and attacked with a hammer.

But he did not stop there and went to his paternal uncle Latheef’s house, killing him most cruelly, according to the report.

The police informed that the accused allegedly struck Latheef on the head with a hammer more than 20 times. Latheef's body was found on a chair in the drawing room with his skull shattered in pieces.

Latheef's wife, Sajitha, was allegedly attacked from behind by the accused while in the kitchen preparing tea for him. She also received multiple blows from a hammer and her body was found lying near the kitchen.

"It was difficult to identify the victims as they were all covered in blood. When we lifted Latheef, someone's fingers went inside his head through a huge hole at the back of his skull," a neighbour, recounting the horrifying scenes at the murder site, told PTI.

Although the police have not officially revealed the sequence of events, it is suspected that Afan began his killing spree with his 88-year-old paternal grandmother Salma Beevi at her house in Pangode near Venjaramoodu.

According to the Police, Afan took a hammer with him when he went to Salma Beevi's house, PTI reported. He killed her and then proceeded to the house of Latheef and Sajitha in Chullalam.

They suspect that after murdering Latheef and Sajitha, the accused took his brother Afsan home from school. Police also believe that he had earlier picked up Farsana and dropped her at his home. He then allegedly attacked his mother first, followed by his brother and his girlfriend.

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Before heading to the police station, Afan left the LPG valve open, intending to cause an explosion if anyone entered the house at night, police said.

Locals who saw Afan between the murders told the police that he appeared unfazed and showed no signs of distress.

After committing all these murders, Afan calmly walked to the police station and informed officers that he had assaulted six people in three locations, adding that they would all be dead by now.

Investigating officials say that Afan was a drug abuser and have obtained evidence to support this.

However, the specific drug he used and whether he was under its influence during the massacres are yet to be confirmed.