A 23-year-old man has turned himself in to police after admitting to killing six people, including five members of his own family and his girlfriend, in a series of brutal attacks across three locations in Kerala’s capital, media reports confirmed.
The suspect, identified as Afan from Perumala, is now in police custody. According to his confession, he carried out the murders on Monday evening, targeting his mother, younger brother, uncle, aunt, grandmother, and girlfriend. Investigators found the victims at different locations, most of them already dead before authorities arrived. His mother, the only survivor, remains in critical condition.
Police say the killings occurred within two hours, beginning at 5:30 p.m. when Afan first attacked his grandmother, Salmabeevi, at her home in Pangode. He then went to his uncle’s house in S.N. Puram, where he murdered his uncle Latheef and aunt Shahida. Finally, he returned to his own home in Perumala, where he killed his 14-year-old brother, Afan, his girlfriend Farsana, and severely wounded his mother, Shemi.
Authorities are investigating the motive behind the crime. Reports indicate that Afan had recently returned from abroad, where his father had suffered financial losses in business. Allegedly, he had asked his grandmother for her gold ornaments, but she and other relatives refused to support him financially, which may have triggered the violence.
During questioning, Afan admitted to consuming poison before surrendering at the police station. His health deteriorated, and officers took him to Government Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram for treatment. Meanwhile, his mother is undergoing critical care at Gokulam Medical College Hospital.
Local officials and residents have expressed shock over the incident. CPI-M legislator D.K. Murali, who represents the area, said the scale of the crime has left the community reeling. “It’s hard to believe. The murders happened across three different houses in two separate police jurisdictions. No one understands what could have led to such a tragedy,” he said.
Investigators are now working to verify Afan’s statements and determine if there were additional motives behind the killings.
