How Afan Committed 5 Gruesome Murders: What Police’ Preliminary Report Says

A quiet village in Kerala has been shattered by an unimaginable act of violence. Five people brutally murdered, and one critically injured. This is the story of the Venjarammoodu massacre, a chilling tale of inexplicable rage.  23-year-old Afan stands accused of the heinous crimes, leaving a trail of devastation across three locations.

The victims of Afan’s alleged killing spree include his 13-year-old brother, Afsan, his girlfriend, Farzana, his grandmother, Salmabeevi, his paternal uncle, Latheef, and his aunt, Shahida.  His mother, Shemi, was left critically injured, the sole survivor of the initial attack at their home in Permula.  The scale and brutality of the crimes have left investigators grappling for answers.

The bodies were discovered at three separate locations, highlighting the calculated nature or the randomness the rage prompted of the alleged attacks.  Afan’s mother was found severely injured at their residence in Permula.  The body of his grandmother was discovered in Pangode, while his uncle and aunt were found in SN Puram.  All the victims, except his grandmother, were reportedly bludgeoned to death with a hammer suggesting a level of rage that has baffled investigators.

Afan has confessed to the crimes, claiming he had consumed rat poison after the attacks. He was subsequently rushed to the Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College Hospital, where police began the arduous task of piecing together the events of that horrific day.

As per reports, Afan cited financial distress, attributed to his father’s overseas business setbacks and a purported 75 lakh rupee debt, as the motive behind his actions. However, police suspect there is more to the story.

The murders, which were carried out within a two-hour window as Afan travelled between locations on his motorbike, points to a deeper, more complex motivation.

Several unanswered questions remain.  The cyber police have been brought in to examine Afan’s online activity, searching for any external influences that may have contributed to his actions.  The circumstances surrounding the murder of his girlfriend, Farzana, are also under scrutiny.  Police are investigating the possibility of family disapproval of their relationship and suspect Afan may have abused drugs. However, Afan’s relatives including his father are saying that their family was not against their relationship.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has assigned the IG and DIG to lead the probe. The post-mortem examinations of the victims, which will be held today, are expected to provide further insights into the brutal attacks.

What are the preliminary findings

The police, according to reports in Malayalam media sourcing the Kerala Police, have discovered that the motive behind the murder of five people, including his brother and girlfriend, by a 23-year-old Afan was due to malevolence. The reason for this malevolent or vengeful animosity was that he did not get money for a luxurious life.

Here’s how the police described the events unfolded on Sunday in Venjarammoodu:

On Sunday morning morning, Afan first attacked his mother, Shemi, a cancer patient. The attack was due to a financial dispute. After strangling his mother’s neck with a shawl, he threw her to the ground of their Perumala house.

Believing that his mother, who had fallen unconscious after hitting her head, was dead, he locked her in a room in the house. After that, the accused went to his grandmother Salma Beevi’s house in Pangode. When he asked for jewellery and got into an argument, he hit Salma’s head against the wall and killed her. Following this, Afan took the jewellery from there and pawned it in Venjaramoodu. While he was there, his uncle Latheef called him on the phone. After the phone call, he bought a hammer from a hardware store near the Venjaramoodu bus stand.

He went straight to the house in Chullal and killed Latheef and his wife Sajitha. The police confirmed that there were signs of a scuffle at Latheef’s place. After that, he called his girlfriend Farhana to his house in Perumala and beat her to death, and eyewitness accounts say that her face has been disfigured beyond recognition. The last person he killed was his brother Ahsan. Ahsan, who was at the playground, was called home to eat. The police also said that Afan is a drug addict.

As the incident took place in the limits of three police stations, three DYSPs are conducting the investigation under the supervision of the South Zone IG of Kerala Police.