Kozhikode: A heart wrenching murder story is being unraveled in Kozhikode, where six members of a family were killed systematically over a period of 14 years. The most shocking aspect is that the killer is a member of the family and killed of the family members in a bid to grab property and to marry her husband’s cousin brother.
Jolly Thomas who is presently in police custody and undergoing interrogation is suspected to have poisoned her family members, including her husband, Roy Thomas. She used to mix cyanide with the food she served to those she wanted dead.
The victims are P. Tom Thomas 66, his wife Annamma 57 and their son Roy Thomas 40, Tom’s brother’s daughter-in-law Sily Shaju and her 2 year old daughter Alpine, and Anamma’s brother Mathew Manjadiyil 68 were killed between 2002 and 2016.
It is alleged that Jolly Thomas had illicit relation with Shaju Skaria who is the husband of Sily Shaju who was killed in 2016. The murders were planned to eliminate all those who stood in the way of Jolly Thomas.
After Sily Shaju’s death, Shaju married Jolly after one year, which raised suspicions among the family members. Some even protested against the marriage between the two close relatives.
Shaju and another suspected accomplice, who is a jewelry employee and provided the cyanide used in the poisoning, are also in police custody.
The matter came to light after Roy’s brother Rijo, residing in the United States, filed a complaint against Jolly Thomas for trying to grab property using fake will.
The investigation team had exhumed all the bodies yesterday to examine whether they were poisoned. All the deaths were similar with the victims complaining of uneasiness and collapsing suddenly and forming at the mouths.
After Roy Thomas’ death, the police found traces of cyanide in his body. But the family thought it was a suicide and did not demand a thorough investigation fearing disrepute.
The most tragic and heart wrenching of the crimes is the death of the two year old Alpine who consumed meat and bread on her brother’s first Mass and collapsed. It is alleged that she was given poison in her food by Jolly Thomas.
The police suspected Jolly Thomas after her presence was noted at the time of deaths of all the six victims.
