Kerala

Human Interest

36-year-old Suja Thankachan from Kollam, who worked as a conductor in a Dubai school, is set to be promoted to the post of driver.

Sreedevi Jayarajan

As a child, Kollam native Suja Thankachan had always dreamt of driving lorries, trucks and big buses - a profession that usually employs men in India. Growing up with an uncle who drove Kerala Road Transport Corporation buses, and private tankers, Suja recalls admiring all the heavy-duty vehicles that would be parked in front of her house. She even made a promise to herself that one day she will learn to drive them all. Three decades later, the 36-year-old has now fulfilled a part of her dream. She is an officially certified heavy bus driver. And what's better? She has achieved this dream not in India, but across the Arabian Sea, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). On September 30, 2019, Suja received her heavy bus license from the Dubai Road Transport Authority after nine months of hard work and six failed attempts. She can now drive heavy buses anywhere in the UAE - a rare achievement for a woman in the country. Three-and-a-half years ago, Suja had moved to Dubai due to a personal crisis. After landing in Dubai and realising that she had no future back in Kerala, she decided to turn her fate around and make a living in the UAE. “My brother's friend, who works as a driver at Millenium School in Dubai, got me a job here. I initially started working as a bus conductor. Soon, I also started assisting the faculty in setting up the examination hall and counting question papers. Then, I also help students fix issues in their laptops and troubleshooting problems," she says. Once she decided to upgrade from a conductor to a driver's post, Suja began taking driving classes to apply for a license. The training was expensive and taxing, but the 36-year-old was no quitter. "I spent a total of Rs 2 lakh for classes and to apply for the license. The license test in the UAE is extremely hard to crack. If you miss looking at the rearview mirror or overlook a tiny detail, they will fail you. This is why it took me six attempts to finally clinch it," she says. Every time she failed, Suja took eight more weeks of classes to correct her mistakes. During the final attempt, she recalled being extremely ill and certain that she would not make it. But, she cleared the test. "It was probably because I had no expectations of clearing that I managed to pass the test. Surprisingly, I was not tense and managed to do everything by the rule book. With this experience, I learnt to not take failure seriously. A lot of men fail their car driving tests here multiple times. I don't even know how to drive a car but passed my bus test," she says with a laugh. With her brand new driver's licence, Suja is all set to be promoted from conductor to driver's position in her school. She will do four trips a day where she picks up and drops 53 students from kindergarten to class 12. As the news of Suja's accomplishment spread across the city, she started receiving job offers from other schools, private companies and even the Dubai government. "I am not doing this for money, and even if my school does not hike my salary, I will take this job. The school staff and authorities knew it was my long-time dream. They supported me when I applied for my heavy bus license. So, I am happy to drive the students back and forth regardless of other offers," she adds.

Body 2:

Housing

Flat owners who were not able to shift by the end of Thursday were told to give an undertaking stating that they would need more time to shift all their remaining furniture.

TNM Staff

The deadline set for the residents of the four apartment complexes in Ernakulam’s Maradu area to vacate their flats ended on Thursday and according to the district administration, 243 flats out of the total 326 have been vacated. The four apartment complexes in Maradu have been ordered by the Supreme Court of India to be demolished for violating the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms. According to a report by the Times of India (ToI), flat owners who were not able to shift by the end of Thursday were told to give an undertaking stating that they have moved out from the flats but that they would be needing extra time to shift all their remaining furniture. As per the report, a resident from one of the apartments was quoted as saying, “Agents from Mattancherry and other places came to buy second hand goods. One of the flat owners sold off five 1.5 tonne air conditioners for Rs 40,000. Some of the residents did not even bother to bargain and they sold off their belongings at whatever rate demanded by the agents.” The residents who have shifted to their relatives’ houses are reported to have hired warehouses to store all their furniture and belongings. The apartments will be handed over by the district administration to the agency that will be demolishing the buildings by October 9, and the demolition process will begin on October 11. The four apartment complexes of Jains Coral Cove, Golden Kayaloram, H20 Holy Faith and Alfa Serene that have been ordered for demolition, had received the permission for construction before 2005, that is, when Maradu was a gram panchayat. It was upgraded to a municipality in November 2010. Each apartment is estimated to cost between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 1.5 crore. It was in May earlier this year that the Supreme Court ordered the demolition of the apartments for violating CRZ norms. However, the decision of the court had raised several questions as to whether the flat owners - many of them aged and retired – were aware of such norms. The verdict was issued following an appeal filed by the Kerala State Coastal Zone Management Authority (KSCZMA).

Body 2:

Real estate

The real estate industry in Kerala has just been picking up from a 2-year slowdown post demonetisation.

Saritha S Balan

Midhun J

The demolition of apartment complexes in Kochi’s Maradu municipality that have violated Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ Act) norms, is set to begin on October 11. The raging issue that has perhaps no parallel in the history of the entire country, has hit the real estate industry in the state. The entire industry has just been recovering from the 2-year slowdown caused by demonetisation and the recession that was prevalent in the Indian economy. According to industry players, it would take six months for buyer and investor sentiment to pick up. “Definitely there's a slowdown, people who are going to invest as well as those who have are planning to buy homes have apprehensions. That’s normal, when there's a confusion in the market. They have become too conscious that their money will be lost,” SN Raghuchandran Nair, managing director of SI Properties, tells TNM. He further says that people would be reluctant if there is any kind of problem with the related industry and would start thinking if they should go for this kind of investment."Those who have already made up their mind for investing will also start thinking twice — they would again make calculations on the particular investment and also would rethink on the remaining payment. That will affect the flow of money to the builders which in turn would affect the progress of the construction. The buyers would also become more specific by asking the builders about the building plans — these three things have already begun to happen. Ripples are going to be felt across the country particularly in states with vast coastal areas like Maharashtra and Goa. And this is a buyers' market,” he says. Raguchandran Nair is also General Council member and former vice president of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India's (CREDAI) Kerala chapter. The real estate market had hit rock bottom ever since demonetisation two years ago, which resulted in a slowdown of 20-30%. Prior to that, there had been steady growth in the industry. He adds, "Now that the prices had corrected, it was the right time to buy or invest. This was the right time to invest in real estate also because the stock market is falling and the price of gold is really high. The market was slowing climbing up, but the Maradu issue has pulled it down." According to industry people, a lot of ongoing waterfront projects are there in the state– like those on Marine Drive in Kochi and in Aluva. “Projects near water bodies are something that everybody can sell in Kerala irrespective of which city they are in. There are projects near Ashtamudi lake in Kollam. A lot of rich people have bought houses near the lake. If the criteria for Maradu apartments is followed, it may necessitate a situation where some of the other buildings near water bodies would also be demolished," a source said. "The bottomline is that the real estate business should not be affected. There may be a temporary lull, a kind of shock, that would be revived. The government should come out with some major announcement like speedy approvals for building permission and occupancy certificate as there is a trust deficit now," S Krishna Kumar, chairman of CREDAI, Kerala chapter tells TNM. However, they all remain optimistic that confidence among buyers will build up and the market would be back to normal in six months. Also read: After Maradu, 625 buildings in Kerala along Vembanad Lake to face demolition Why 344 apartments worth Rs 50 lakh to 1.5 crore each may be demolished in Kochi

Body 2:

Crime

The case is being investigated following a complaint from a family member based in the US, who alleged that some relatives were trying to grab the family’s property.

TNM Staff

As part of the investigation into the suspicious death of six persons in Koodathai of Kozhikode district, the Vadakara rural crime branch police has begun exhuming the mortal remains of the deceased on Friday. The bodies will be exhumed by the crime branch in the presence of a forensic team and the revenue divisional officer. Six members from a family died between 2002 to 2014. Retired educational department officer P Tom Jose died in 2008, his wife and retired teacher Annamma died in 2002, their son Roy Thomas in 2012, their relative Cily and her 10-month-old daughter Alphonsa died in 2014 while Annamma’s brother Mathew Manjadi passed away in 2010. An autopsy was done only on Roy’s body as the rest of the deaths were not found to be suspicious. There are reports that Roy’s autopsy report revealed the presence of poison, but the police have not confirmed it. The deaths of Tom and Annamma were considered natural and age related, hence no inquiry was carried out. The case is being investigated by the crime branch following a complaint from Roy’s brother Rojo, who is based in the United States. According to reports, the complainant alleged that some relatives were trying to grab Tom Jose’s property. “The complaint was only about one death. Later when we enquired, we found all these other deaths in the family to be suspicious. Exhuming will help us to get important evidences. This will be crucial to our investigation. At this point of time we definitely believe there is foul play in these deaths as most of them had a similar pattern,” a junior crime branch officer told TNM on the condition of anonymity. The police will exhume the mortal remains of four members of the family from a cemetery in a church in Koodathai. The bodies of Cily and her 10-month-old daughter, who were buried in a church in Kodenchery, will be exhumed first as their deaths are the latest. “Earlier we had planned to exhume the bodies secretly. At present our investigation doesn’t target a single person. We have our doubts, this forensic examination can help us a lot,” the officer said. The police were not ready to reveal further details about the deaths.

Body 2:

Environment

A group of youngsters has been on hunger strike in Wayanad to protest the decade-old night travel ban on NH that passes through the Bandipur Tiger Reserve.

TNM Staff

“Because it is a very critical and important issue that the people of Wayanad are facing, and they were suffering, I decided to come here and meet you all,” said Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi as he joined the ongoing hunger strike in the district’s Sultan Bathery town, on Friday. For the last one week, youngsters and Congress party members have been on a hunger strike, protesting the decade-old night travel ban on the National Highway that passes through the Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka-Kerala border. The people in Wayanad, especially those in Sultan Bathery, say that the traffic ban between 9 pm and 6 am has increased their travel time. Students from across the district, too, have joined the protests in Sulthan Bathery. A few protesters were even hospitalised at Vinayaka hospital as a result of their prolonged fast. After visiting the young protesters, Rahul Gandhi addressed the public at the protest site. “They are a few youngsters, but they represent the people of this constituency, their sufferings and their thoughts,” he said. He also stressed that all political parties are united in the matter. “There is no political difference between parties in this matter. This issue has to be resolved in an intelligent, sensitive and productive manner. I am confident a compromising solution can be reached where the people of Wayanad benefit and the environment is also protected. This has been achieved in other parts of the country, and I am sure it can be achieved here as well,” he said. The Kerala government had proposed that the ban can be bypassed on a 25-km stretch of National Highway 766 with an elevated corridor. It had suggested that the elevator corridor can be built by cutting through a core part of the forest. However, environmentalists had pointed out that this could adversely affect the forest habitat, which consists of more than one hundred tigers in the reserve. Read: Kerala CM’s push for Bandipur elevated corridor irks environmentalists in both states In early August, the Supreme Court had upheld the night traffic ban. Stating that the best legal resources have been made available to represent the people of Wayanad, the MP said, “I have spoken to our legal experts and have asked to help us with the legality of this issue. I have raised this issue in the Parliament, the Union government, and even Kerala government also said it will act in the interest of Wayanad and resolve the problem as soon as possible.” While the Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had said that he will not go against the court and will not allow vehicles in the night in Bandipur forest area, his Kerala counterpart had recently met Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar to discuss the matter. Following this, the Centre said a committee would be set up to study the matter. During the visit to his constituency, Rahul Gandhi also allocated Rs 3.85 crore of MPLADS (Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme) towards various development projects.

Body 2:

Controversy

RSP leader Shibu Baby John accused Kodiyeri and son Bineesh of bribery, but the victim in the case has denied this.

Sreedevi Jayarajan

In response to the latest political controversy dogging him, CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has denied all corruption allegations that have been levelled against him by UDF leader Shibu Baby John. On Thursday, Shibu, who is a national committee member of the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) had taken to Facebook to level serious allegations of political graft in connection with distribution of shares of the Kannur International Airport Ltd. Interestingly, Shibu alleged that it was LDF Pala candidate Mani C Kappen who gave statements to the CBI suggesting that Kodiyeri, during his term as Home Minister of Kerala between 2006 and 2011, had taken a bribe from a Mumbai based Malayali businessman in return for KIAL shares. He also posted a document which he claimed contained Mani C Kappen’s statements to the CBI which incriminated Kodiyeri. The issue According to Shibu’s post, a Mumbai based Malayali businessman named Dinesh Menon has filed a complaint with the CBI alleging that Kappen had swindled Rs 3.5 crore from him after promising to give him shares in the Kannur airport. Following this, Shibu refers to a document which allegedly contains Kappen’s response to CBI on the issue. In the statement, Kappen allegedly says that he had introduced Dinesh Menon to Kodiyeri and son Bineesh, and had heard that some cash transactions had taken place between them. “When shares of the Kannur airport were being distributed, I had introduced Dinesh Menon to then Home Minister Kodiyeri and his son Bineesh Kodiyeri. After Dinesh told me that he had made the payments, I heard that some cash transactions were made between them,” Shibu’s post quotes Kappen as saying. Following the controversial post, both Kappen and Dinesh Menon have categorically denied Kodiyeri’s involvement in the case. “I haven’t not given any such statement. A CBI officer of SP rank had called me and threatened me to give a statement in this case. He told me that if I don’t give statement they’ll register a case against me, arrest me etc. I had filed a complaint regarding this and given it to the CBI director. Apart from that I have not given any statement,” Kappen told the media. Meanwhile, Dinesh Menon came on record to state that his issue was only with Kappen and denied Kodiyeri’s involvement in the issue. “I do not have any connection with Kodiyeri. I had visited him once for an official meeting of Kannur airport. Mani C Kappen had taken me to Kodiyeri‘s house. He (Kodiyeri) was the Home Minister and I paid a visit out of courtesy. I had a glass of tea with him and then I caught my next flight home to Mumbai. I have not met Kodiyeri after that,” Dinesh Menon stated. However, the businessman added that Mani owed him Rs 3.5 crores. “In 2012, he paid me back 25 lakhs and later gave me cheques for the remaining amount. If the cheques don;t work, he promised to pay me back by registering a piece of land in Kumarakom in my name. All the cheques bounced and when I went to see the land, I realised there was already a legal issue surrounding it. I have now filed a breach of trust and cheating case in the Kerala High Court against him,” Dinesh added. Meanwhile, Kodiyeri said that he did not wish to add more in response to the issue. “Both Dinesh and Kappen have denied the allegations what more can I say,” he told the media. Also read: Six suspicious deaths in one family over 12 years: Kerala crime branch exhumes bodies How the Maradu demolition drive is affecting the real estate industry in Kerala

Body 2:

Demolition case

The Supreme Court had set up a three-member committee to see to the distribution of compensation for the flat owners and also the steps for the demolition.

TNM Staff

With the time period fixed by the Supreme Court for the families of Maradu apartments to vacate their homes ends, Justice K Balakrishnan Nair, who is part of the three-member panel appointed by the apex court to oversee the fixing and distribution of compensation for the residents, said that they have started their work. After the first round of meeting held between Justice Balakrishnan and high-ranking state department officials, he told media the panel will begin hearing the parties in the case and fix a fair compensation. The Supreme Court, when it gave the order for eviction, had directed the setting up of a three-member committee, headed by retired Kerala High Court judge K Balakrishnan Nair, to see to the distribution of compensation and also the steps for demolition."I will now hear the government, the builders and the flat owners to finalise the compensation payment as directed by the apex court and this will happen very soon. The government will first pay the compensation which will be recovered from the builder," he said. However, the state government is yet to provide a retired IAS officer and a civil engineer to complete the committee that Justice Balakrishnan heads. The first that the panel will have to deal with is the compensation which the apex court has fixed at a maximum of Rs 25 lakh and he will decide if further compensation needs to be given. Speaking to the media, senior bureaucrat Usha Titus, who led the talks with Justice Balakrishnan, told that things like valuation of the flats will have to be looked into and decided by the apex court-appointed committee. "We expect to get the office of this committee set up very fast so as to see that they are able to work," she said. However, according to a report of The News Indian Express, about 150 flat owners do not have proper proof to show their ownership. The uncertainty over whether the flat owners will be able to get fair compensation now brews. According to reports, some flat owners, at the time of registration, has only put the value of flats around Rs 2-3 lakh, to save on the hefty stamp duty. Whether these will come as a hurdle to get compensation, will have to be seen. Meanwhile, Kerala Police Crime Branch chief, Tomin J Thachankary, who has been entrusted with the job of probing how the builders were able to build these flats and find those who were responsible for this, was spotted at the flat complex. He told the media that his work is going well and he will soon be able to zero down on how this happened. Snehil Kumar Sing, Fort Kochi RDO, who has been appointed as municipal secretary of Maradu to oversee the demolition process, told TNM that the company to be given charge of demolition will be finalised on Sunday. “There are six companies who have applied for the tender. A technical assessment is being done on their applications, we will finalise it on October 6,” said Snehil Kumar. (With inputs from IANS) Also read: How the Maradu demolition drive is affecting the real estate industry in Kerala

Body 2:

Infrastucture

A 11-storeyed building in Chennai’s Moulivakkam was demolished in three seconds through controlled implosion.

TNM Staff

On November 2, 2016, an implosion ripped through one of the 11 storeys of an under-construction building named Faith in Chennai’s Moulivakkam area. In a matter of just three seconds, the entire building came crashing down, sending up a thick cloud of dust into the air. The building, which was demolished using controlled implosion, was found to have significant under-designing and major design flaws. This is the technique Maradu Municipality in Kerala’s Ernakulam district will undertake to demolish the four luxury apartment buildings, which, according to the Supreme Court judgement, are in violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules. Watch: In a controlled implosion, explosives are strategically placed in the building to raze it to the ground. Unlike an explosion, where the matter will fly outward, during an implosion, it will collapse inward. Hence, during a controlled implosion, the structure will collapse under its own weight or within a set perimeter, instead of toppling to one side and spreading the debris to a larger space. As seen in the video of Moulivakkam building demolition, the detonation of explosives started from the ground floor to the mid-floor, the point where the building split and the portion above it was brought down. In such a type of demolition, the critical support structure of the building is progressively weakened or removed to allow the other section of the building to fall on itself. The company that engages in the controlled implosion will first survey the building to study points where the explosives will be placed and how to time the detonation. The same company will also clear the debris after the implosion, although in many instances, including Moulivakkam, the debris is reportedly yet to be cleared. The Maradu Municipality is still considering the companies as the technical bids are still being studied. The bids will be finalised on October 9. According to an official in the Ernakulam District Administration, multiple companies will be engaged as four buildings have to be demolished. The Kerala government had told the Supreme Court that the demolition process will start on October 9. It said that while demolition will be completed in 90 days, the debris will be cleared in 48 days.

Body 2:

Accident

Abheel Johnson, plus one student of St Thomas Higher Secondary School in Pala, suffered head injury after a 3 kg hammer hit him on Friday.

TNM Staff

Vishnu Prathap

In a grave incident which occurred during the Kerala State Junior Athletics Championship being held at Pala, a 17-year-old school student was critically injured after a hammer hit his head during the hammer throw sports event Abheel Johnson, plus one student of St Thomas Higher Secondary School in Pala, suffered a serious head injury after a 3 kg hammer hit his head on Friday. According to Asianet News report, the student was a volunteer of the athletic meet. Abheel has been admitted to intensive care unit of Kottayam Medical College and underwent a surgery on Friday, but according to hospital officials, his condition remains critical. As per the report, the incident happened at around 1 pm on Friday. Two sports items, Javelin throw and Hammer throw, were going on at the same time. Abheel, who was a volunteer, was picking up the javelins which contestants used for the event. A hammer, which a contestant threw from the opposite direction hit his head which injured him severely. He was rushed to Kottayam Medical College hospital at once. Pala police have charged a case against the organisers of the event. “Section 338 (Causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of Indian Penal Code has been charged against the organisers. We are probing and if needed, will charge case against specific persons,” an official of Pala police told TNM. As per the Asianet report, both the events – Javelin and Hammer throw – which were held simultaneously, had the same finishing point. Already, there were allegations that the championship was being held without adequate number of sports faculties and that teachers of other subjects were officiating as judges for the events. The events scheduled to be held on Saturday and Sunday have been postponed due to the accident.

Body 2:

LGBTQI+

The 2nd year BA Economics student in Malappuram has bagged the lead role in 'Anchamathe Athyayam', meaning ‘fifth chapter’.

Neethu Joseph

From being the first transgender judge of Lok Adalat to a member of Kerala State Human Rights Commission, Riya Isha, a trans woman from Malappuram, has many feathers in her cap. And now, the second year BA Economics student of Government College in Malappuram is all set to make her silver screen debut. Riya had always dreamed big, but she never thought she will end up being a film actor. However, life threw her a surprise, and she landed a lead role in a Malayalam feature film called Anchamathe Athyayam, meaning ‘fifth chapter’, directed by Anwar Ali. Speaking to TNM, Riya talks about the ongoing shoot, and how she hopes her stint as an actor will help change the public perception towards transgender community. “The story of the film is based in Malappuram itself. I play the character of a trans woman. Part of the film revolves around the struggle my character and her partner go through to adopt a child,” says Riya. In March, Riya reportedly became the first transgender student to compete in Folk Dance competition of University Youth Festivals in Kerala. She is also part of the Malappuram Justice Board and a participant in the Kerala Fashion League. Riya, who believes that a medium like film can influence people’s perception, is happy that her first film talks about a transgender person’s journey. “I believe that film is a medium which offers the easiest means to communicate with the society. And with movies like Anchamathe Athyayam, people will get a glimpse into the real lives of transgender people. If done consistently, this will eradicate taboos against the transgender community,” Riya says confidently. Changing perceptions isn't new to Riya either. In fact, when she joined the Malappuram Government College, unsurprisingly, the other students were not keen on mingling with her due to her gender identity. "But now, they are all very friendly. There's even a separate toilet in the college for me, the only transgender student. I hope the scenario will be much better for other transgender students who come here after me," Riya says with hope. Also read: ‘It was a childhood dream': Meet Kerala woman who became bus driver in Dubai Kerala man walks over 100 kms covered in plastic waste to create awareness on littering

Body 2:

Controversy

The Bihar police on Wednesday filed an FIR against 49 celebrities,who'd written an open letter to PM Modi, raising concerns over increasing incidents of communal violence in the country.

TNM Staff

Protesting the sedition case against 49 Indian celebrities, including Kerala icons like filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan and actor-director Revathy Asha, the members of Students Federation of India (SFI) are planning to write letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Bihar police on Wednesday had filed an FIR against the 49 celebrities who'd written an open letter to PM Modi, raising concerns over the increasing incidents of communal violence in the country. The letter, written in July 2019, was signed by celebrities including Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Mani Ratnam, Anurag Kashyap, Aparna Sen, Revathy Asha, Ramchandra Guha, Konkona Sensharma and Kani Kusruti. The celebrities have been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code including sedition, public nuisance, hurting religious feelings and insulting with intent to provoke breach of peace. Condemning the act, the SFI on Friday announced that its members across the state will write letters to Narendra Modi. “Right to dissent is the safeguard of democracy,” the SFI stated while condemning the incident. “It's condemnable that the signatories of the letter, who expressed concern about the increasing mob lynchings and propagation of communal hatred, have been booked by an FIR,” the statement put out by the SFI states. “While the right to dissent is the safeguard of democracy, the government has tried to suppress even the smallest voice of opposition. We cannot agree to the move of the government to wipe off freedom of expression and independent thought,” the SFI added. The organisation also alleged that through the amendments brought in to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Centre is trying to put those who criticise the RSS behind bars. “The wiping off of democracy and fundamental rights through anti-constitutional laws cannot be tolerated,” it said. The SFI also raised demands that the case against Adoor Gopalakrishnan and other cultural activists, should be withdrawn at once. “Strong protests should rise up against the move to suppress democratic rights of the citizens. SFI members across Kerala will write letters to Modi to protest against this. We also call all the students to be part of this protest to safeguard our democratic rights,” the SFI said in the statement. Also read: Talks are on for a CPI-CPI(M) reunification – but can this help the Left in India?

Body 2:

Conspiracy

The mortal remains of six members of the family was exhumed on Friday.

Haritha John

Jolly and the six who died.

A day after the dead bodies of six members of a family were exhumed from their graves in Kerala, the police have taken four people into custody for questioning. Six members of a family from Koodathai of Kozhikode district, including retired educational department officer Tom Jose, his wife and retired teacher Annamma, their son Roy Thomas and three other relatives died between 2002 and 2016. Now, the Crime Branch team has taken Roy’s ex-wife Jolly into custody. Shaju, her current husband who is Tom Jose's nephew, is also being questioned. According to reports, another man, who works in a jewellery store, too, is being questioned. The police are questioning the man to find out if he had supplied poison. As of now, there is no hard evidence to link the six deaths, and the investigating team has taken the persons concerned into questioning to find out if there's a connection or if the deaths were coincidental. Here’s a timeline of the six deaths: 56-year-old Annamma, P Tom Jose’s wife, died in 2002. She is believed to have had a bowl of mutton soup and passed away subsequently. Tom Jose (66) died six years later, in 2008. He’s said to have eaten a tapioca dish and then collapsed vomiting. Both died before being taken to the hospital. Next, Annamma’s brother, Mathew Manjadiyil who stayed near the couple's house died in 2010. Mathew did not have any children and a few relatives suspected that it was foul play and that the motive was his property. Roy Thomas, son of Annamma and Tom Jose, died in 2012 and was survived by his wife Jolly. The suspicion of the relatives intensified when cyanide was found in his body. However, his wife Jolly claimed that he had financial issues and may have killed himself. A case of suspicious death was filed. In 2014, another person related to Tom Jose passed away, this time a child. His nephew Shaju's baby Alphonsa died. Shaju was the son of Tom Jose's brother Zacharias. The cause of death was choking and an object was supposedly stuck in the child’s throat. In 2016, Shaju’s wife Cily passed away. Cily had gone with Shaju for a dentist’s appointment when she suddenly died. Jolly is believed to have been with them. In 2017, after all the deaths, Shaju and Jolly got married. This made people all the more suspicious that the deaths were not natural or accidental. The case is currently being investigated by the Crime Branch following a complaint from Roy’s brother Rojo, who is based in the United States. According to reports, the complainant alleged that relatives were trying to grab Tom Jose’s property. Vadakara Rural SP KG Simon told the media that all the deceased had consumed food prior to their death and that this could have been a case of slow poisoning. He made it clear that the investigation team had reasonable doubt in the case which led them to exhume the mortal remains. The mortal remains of Tom Jose, Annamma, their son Roy Thomas and Annamma’s brother Mathew Manjadiyil, were exhumed from Koodathayi St Mary’s Church cemetery. Cily and her 10-month-old child Alphonsa had been buried at the Kodenchery church cemetery and their bodies were exhumed from there. With police suspecting the usage of arsenic or cyanide, tests will be done on their remains to find traces of poison. According to reports, post-mortem was done only on Roy Thomas’s body at the time of death. Though Malayalam media reports said that the post-mortem had revealed traces of poison, at the time of death, it had been categorised as suicide. Roy Thomas’s body was found in a bathroom which had been locked from the inside. "Jolly is in the police station now. Her husband Shaju and Annamma’s brother Zacharias too are being questioned. We had questioned her earlier. We cannot reveal anything more for the time being," a police officer in the investigating team told TNM.

Body 2:

Politics

In the fray for what could be a fight to the finish include former Congress Legislator K Mohankumar, Thiruvananthapuram Mayor and CPI(M) leader VK Prasanth, and district president of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) S Suresh.

IANS

If there's one Assembly constituency in Kerala that is seeing a close and tough fight among three political aspirants, then it is the upcountry Vattiyoorkavu seat in the state capital. Five Assembly seats have bypolls on October 21, but it is Vattiyoorkavu which is grabbing attention. In the fray for what could be a fight to the finish include former Congress Legislator K Mohankumar, Thiruvananthapuram Mayor and CPI(M) leader VK Prasanth, and district president of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) S Suresh. All of them are no strangers to the electorate in the constituency and each of them has advantages to show. The seat was vacated by Congress veteran K Muraleedharan, son of four-time Chief Minister K Karunakaran, who successfully contested the Vadakara Lok Sabha constituency. Muraleedharan had won the Vattiyoorkavu Assembly seat easily in 2011 and 2016, though in 2016 he got a tough fight from the BJP leader Kummanem Rajasekheran. Congress's Mohankumar in 2001 became a giant killer when he trounced the then Assembly Speaker and CPI(M) leader M Vijayakumar at the Thiruvananthapuram North Assembly seat, which following delimitation is now known as Vattiyoorkavu Assembly constituency. But in 2006 Vijayakumar won the seat and Mohan Kumar went back to the organisational politics."The biggest advantage I have is that I know this constituency like the back of my hand, besides, I know practically a good number of my voters quite well. My campaign has been systematically going on forward and with more than two more weeks left, I am confident, my campaign is all set to peak. This is our sitting seat and that's an advantage," said Mohankumar. CPI(M)'s Prasanth, aged 38, the youngest of the three, was handpicked by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who felt that the best bet to wrest this constituency would be the youthful Mayor."The response that I am getting from all is tremendous because I am no stranger to the people here. Right from day one, I am getting positive vibes from all those I met. I will say that the people of this constituency have literally taken forward my campaign and am quite confident that this seat would be taken back," said Prasanth. But BJP's Suresh, aged 39, biggest forte is that it was under his stewardship as the Thiruvananthapuram district party chief, that in 2016 BJP veteran O Rajagopal won the first seat in the 140-member Kerala Assembly. Another highlight about him is that in 2015, in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, for the first time the BJP raised its tally, which pushed the Congress-led UDF into the third position, and became the principal Opposition. His organisational skills were also noticed when Rajasekheran quit as Mizoram Governor to contest the recent Lok Sabha polls and managed to edge out the Left candidate to the third position, though the Congress candidate Shashi Tharoor registered a hat trick by close to a lakh vote margin win."We do have a sound voter base here and it has been proved in the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls, when our candidate finished second. Besides, our rivals have ignored taking up the development activities here. People understand this and from the responses I am getting, things are looking ominous for them," said Suresh. Emerging as a critical factor is the Hindu Nair vote bank, which over the years has by and large been the strength of the Congress candidates. Both Mohankumar and Suresh belong to the Hindu Nair community, Prasanth belongs to the Hindu Ezhava community. Also crucial is going to be the way the minority communities, Muslims and Christians are going to vote. In the Lok Sabha elections Tharoor saw his lead swell from 15,000 in 2014 to almost a lakh votes in 2019, which showed that the minorities voted for him. During the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Tharoor had the lowest lead of less than 3,000 votes from this seat among the seven Assembly constituencies of the Lok Sabha seat. This is an indication of the tough fight that Vattiyoorkavu is going to witness. Also read: Explainer: The graft allegations by UDF leader against Kodiyeri and Mani C Kappen

Body 2:

Crime

The gold was concealed in compound form and was fixed in such a way that it was hidden inside the wig that Noushad was wearing.

TNM Staff

You can fault smugglers for many things but not for lack of creativity. The latest example is Malappuram native Noushad who shaved his hair at the centre of the scalp to make his wig look authentic. Under the wig was 1.13 kg of gold that Noushad believed was safe from the prying eyes of customs officials. But, the efforts got him nowhere as the customs officials at Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) proved to be smarter. The officials identified the wig and nabbed the youth for smuggling gold. Noushad The incident happened on Friday morning as Noushad landed in the airport from Sharjah in the UAE. According to reports, the gold was concealed in compound form and was fixed in such a way that the wig covered it. When concealed in compound form, gold looks like a paste and is not detected by metal detectors. Later, the metal is retrieved in its pure from through some procedures. Customs officials at CIAL have, in the past, nabbed gold smugglers who’d concealed the precious metal in various body parts, including private parts. According to reports, this is the first time that someone hiding it on the head was caught. As per reports, a probe has been started in the case as it was found that Noushad is a carrier. In June, a man in Spain had tried to smuggle cocaine under a wig. He was arrested during the security check at an airport in Spain. However, while the man’s toupee did not look anywhere close to real, Noushad’s wig looked a lot like real hair. Smuggling gold by converting it into compound form has become rampant in Kerala. In yet another recent incident in the state, a youth was found to have successfully smuggled gold through the Calicut airport after converting it to compound form. The incident only later came to light when the youth filed a police complaint, alleging that he was kidnapped by the smuggling mafia after coming out from the airport. Also read: Were six members of a Kerala family poisoned to death? Woman relative in custody

Body 2:

Environment

A huge Gulmohar tree that stood tall in front of Palakkad Railway station was cut down — rendering many migratory birds homeless during the egg-laying season.

TNM Staff

For the last few weeks, Kerala has been discussing the eviction of the flat owners of the Maradu apartments in Kochi, but another painful eviction that took place in Palakkad railway station compound went unnoticed. Broken eggs on the ground, scattered nests, crying nestlings — it was a painful sight for an environment lover. On October 1, a huge Gulmohar tree that stood tall in front of Palakkad Railway station was cut down, rendering many birds homeless. As it was the egg-laying season of migratory birds, cutting the tree to expand the parking area of the railway station has invited flak from environmentalists. Following an outcry, Valayal range forest officer has filed a case against railway officials and a contractor who cut the tree. "To cut trees, the railway officials had to take permission from the social forestry department, but they did not do so. As per the rules, during the egg-laying season, trees should not be cut. This act was cruel," Boban Mattumantha, an environmental activist told TNM. He also alleged that as per the rules, before cutting trees that inhabit migratory birds, social forestry department has to conduct an inspection to make sure that all birds can be rehabilitated to other trees. "The tree was near the Railway Protection Force's office. For two days, these nestlings were left on the ground, crying. Even the officers of the RPF did not do anything. It was on the third day that we came to know about the issue and informed the Rapid Action Force (of the forest department), who rescued some of the nestlings," Boban said. He alleged that usually neither Forest Department nor the government is interested in taking action against cutting trees. "Since we showed them the painful video of the nestlings, they filed the case," he said. Boban said that the tree hosted more than 100 migratory birds. When it was cut, the bigger birds flew away while the nestlings and eggs fell down. The case was registered under the Kerala Forest Act Schedule IV

Body 2:

Crime

TNM Staff

They say truth is stranger than fiction. The crime saga currently unfolding in Kerala, involving multiple deaths and a woman at the centre of it, proves the adage. After hours of suspense and dizzying coverage by news channels, the police has revealed that they have arrested 47-year-old Jolly Amma Joseph for the murder of her ex-husband and five others. According to the police, Jolly has confessed that she gave cyanide to her then husband Roy Thomas, his parents and three other relatives, including a baby. The six deaths in the family happened between 2002 and 2016. While the first death now being suspected as murder was that of Roy Thomas’s mother Annamma Thomas in 2002, the last death was in 2016 when Cily, another relative, died. According to Vadakara Rural SP KG Simon who met the media on Saturday evening, three people have been arrested for the murder of Roy Thomas and the police will add further charges once the other medical reports come in. The bodies of the six relatives were exhumed on Friday. Other than Jolly, the police have arrested her friend, 44-year-old MS Mathew, for allegedly supplying the cyanide to her, and 48-year-old Praji Kumar who allegedly procured the poison. The SP said that when Annamma Thomas died in 2002 and her husband Tom Jose in 2008, no one suspected any foul play. However, when their son Roy Thomas died in 2011, the medical probe found traces of cyanide. “The final report said that there was nothing suspicious about his death and stated that it was a case of suicide. Later, when we inspected the file, we found that there were traces of cyanide and the police had not found from where he’d got the cyanide. We asked the court permission for re-investigation. A team headed by Crime Branch DySp Haridasan was constituted and in the last two months, we found that there had been six deaths in this family. We decided to investigate further as the deaths were similar and the presence of one woman was common in all the deaths,” said the SP. The SP further said that the police started suspecting Jolly as they found that she had told people in the locality that she was a teacher in NIT and used to go out every morning in a car with the NIT board on it. “She is a B.Com graduate and owned a beauty parlour, but lied about it. She also told everyone that her former husband Roy Thomas had a heart attack, though she knew that he had cyanide in his system,” he said. The motives behind the murders According to the police, Jolly confessed that she murdered each of the six people for different reasons. While property was the reason in a few, anger and passion seem to have been the motive behind other crimes, police claim. Annamma Thomas had vomited and collapsed after consuming mutton soup and Jolly was allegedly at home at the time. “Annamma Thomas was the decision-maker in the family and eliminating her was important to ensure that the power of control in the family transfers,” the SP claimed. He added that Annamma Thomas was admitted to the hospital months before her death. “That time, too, she had consumed mutton soup. Though she was taken to NIMS hospital, the doctors could not find any health issues with her. They obviously did not suspect poison,” he said. After Annamma’s death, Roy and Jolly lived on good terms with his father Tom Jose. “Tom had sold all his property and had given shares to all his children. Later, there was a severe fallout as Jolly believed they would get more property,” the SP claimed. After his parents’ death, Roy Thomas and Jolly's relationship allegedly deteriorated significantly. “This is why he was killed. For now, we have only investigated Roy’s death and the FIR is only on that,” the SP said. Roy Thomas was found dead in a bathroom which was locked from the inside. The next person to die in the family was Annamma’s brother Mathew Manjadiyil, in the year 2014. Though the SP refused to go into details about how he died, he said, “Mathew was the person who insisted the most that there should be a post-mortem on Roy.” In the same year, Alphine, the 10-month-old daughter of Tom Jose’s nephew Shaju, died. Shaju is the son of Tom’s brother Zachariah. “We asked doctors about Alphine Shaju's death. Though the child was supposed to have choked to death, after much deliberation and studying facts, we believe that this death too showed signs of cyanide having been used,” the SP claimed. In 2016, Alphine’s mother Cily, Shaju’s wife, too died under mysterious circumstances. She collapsed after drinking a glass of water at a dentist’s clinic. Cily had reportedly gone to the dentist with her husband Shaju and Jolly. Though the SP did not speak at length about Jolly’s suspected motives behind the alleged murder of the child and mother, he said, “Jolly had said many times in the past that she wished she had a husband like Shaju.” In 2017, Shaju and Jolly got married. Though Shaju was questioned by the police on Saturday, he was let off. “We won’t detain people without having proper proof,” the SP said about Shaju. Shaju, a teacher, told the media that had nothing to do with any of the deaths and that time would establish the truth. Meanwhile, Shaju's mother and father Zachariah have spoken out in Jolly's support and maintained that she could not have committed any of these alleged murders. Under Section 26 of the Indian Evidences Act, confessions made by accused persons while in police custody are not admissible in court, unless recorded in the presence of a Magistrate. The SP said that the Crime Branch team went ahead with the three arrests only after collecting enough evidence, though the details have not been given to the media. Inputs by Haritha John and Neethu Joseph

Body 2:

Crime

The 75-year-old woman had been locked up by her younger son over a property dispute.

TNM Staff

Days after she was rescued and taken to a hospital for medical care, the elderly woman from Kerala who was locked up by her son for weeks and tortured, succumbed while being treated at a private hospital in the city on Saturday evening. 75-year-old Lalitha, a resident of Thiruvananthapuram district’s Balaramapuram was locked up insider her house by her younger son, Vijayakumar, over a property dispute. On Thursday, September 19, Lalitha’s daughter L Jaya and neighbours informed the police that they were not being allowed to meet Lalitha who was locked in the house. When the police reached the house, they found that the house and compound gates were locked and that they had forced the door open. They found Lalitha in an extremely pitiable condition, with maggots in her wounds and no proper clothing. Her condition was so severe that they shifted her to a hospital immediately where she was getting treatment. Upon further investigation it came to be known that she had been suffering from liver cirrhosis and her son had denied her proper medical treatment over a period of six months. “My grandmother has Rs 15 lakh in her account, which was transferred to her after my grandfather’s death. Her two daughters and two sons have equal right over it, but Vijayakumar wanted to take all the money. There is a case going on in court over this. It was after this clash that he did not allow any of the relatives to visit my grandmother,” Lalitha’s grandson, Satheesh, stated to TNM at the time. After her death, Satheesh told TNM that the family will file a case against Vijayakumar. Not only had her son stopped her medical treatment, but he used to torture her as well and would force her to walk. Lalitha’s grandson had also stated that Vijayakumar would share videos in which he could be seen yelling at her for something as ridiculous as not being able to bathe and get dressed on her own. He was arrested by Balaramapuram police and later let out on bail.

Body 2:

Housing

The search at Alfa Serene was completed by evening but the searches at the offices of Holy Faith H20 and Jain Coral Cove went on till late in the night.

TNM Staff

The Crime Branch of the Kerala Police, which has been probing the illegal constructions of the four apartment complexes in Ernakulam’s Maradu municipality in Kerala, raided the offices of three of the builders on Saturday. The four apartment complexes have been ordered to be demolished by the Supreme Court of India for violating the Coastal Regulation Zone norms. On Saturday, a search and seizure operation was launched by the Crime Branch at the offices of Holy Faith H20, Alfa Serene and Jain Coral Cove and according to a report by the Times of India, the search at Alfa Serene ended by evening but the searches at the other two offices went on till late in the night. An officer who was part of the search team told TOI that “the primary aim is to fix the responsibility of rules violation on the offenders. We are yet to make a conclusive statement but violations have happened and it has been established. Hence, our job is to fix the responsibility on the offenders.” The New Indian Express reported that investigation into the illegal construction by the builders was transferred to the Crime Branch by the Kochi city police in September. Investigation into the builders reportedly began after a three-day search at the office of the Maradu municipality, where the search team recovered documents relating to the construction of the apartment complexes. The four apartment complexes that have been ordered for demolition received the permission for construction before 2005, when Maradu was a gram panchayat. It was upgraded to a municipality in November 2010. Each apartment is estimated to cost between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 1.5 crore. In May earlier this year, the Supreme Court ordered the demolition of the apartments for violating CRZ norms. However, the decision of the court raised several questions as to whether the flat owners were aware of such norms. The verdict was issued following an appeal filed by the Kerala State Coastal Zone Management Authority (KSCZMA).

Body 2:

Housing

Around 470 families evicted from Moolampilly and Brahmapuram in Ernakulam for developmental projects, are yet to receive fair compensation.

Neethu Joseph

Residents of the four apartment buildings in Kochi’s Maradu, which were ordered to be demolished by the Supreme Court for violating Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms, are in the frantic process of vacating their homes. But while these residents are walking away with an assured temporary relief of Rs 25 lakh, only a few kilometres away, another set of residents are still fighting for fair compensation after they were forced out of their homes years ago. On either side of Maradu, residents of two places – Moolampilly and Brahmapuram – were evicted about 11 years ago due to various developmental projects by the then LDF government. While both situations differ, families in both Moolampilly and Brahmapuram are still continuing their struggle for fair compensation from the government. TNM looks into the past two instances of eviction in Ernakulam district, which had occurred during another CPI(M)-led LDF government, where people had to leave their homes in the name of Kochi's development. The Moolampilly eviction In 2004, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone for the prestigious International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) at Vallarpadam, a few kilometres away from the heart of Kochi city. Four years later, about 326 families from island clusters such as Mulavukadu, Moolampilly, Kothad as well as parts of mainland, including Vaduthala, Eloor, Manjummel, Edapally, Elamakkara, Cheranalloor and Kalamassery, were evicted. The situation garnered widespread attention throughout the state as some of the evicted families had even been dragged out of their homes. February marked the 11th anniversary of the eviction. A rehabilitation plan known as Moolampilly package, which offered lands for people to construct their own homes, was introduced following public outrage. But more than a decade later, it has yet to be fully implemented. “The plots which were allotted to most of the people were lands reclaimed by filling up marshes or wetlands. Many of them even belong to Coastal Regulation Zone 1 and many of us still haven’t secured permission to build houses there. Three of the families attempted to construct houses in the allotted lands, but it partially collapsed,” says VP Wilson, one of the evictees, who had been living in a rented house in Manjummel for the past 11 years. According to the report by the Fact Investigation Committee headed by Justice K Sukumaran, none of the sites identified by the District Administration for rehabilitation meet the standards required to construct a two-story building. None of the plots, according to the report, have power, water or road connections. Discussing ongoing eviction of residents of the four Maradu apartment buildings – H2O Holy Faith, Alfa Serene, Golden Kayaloram and Jains Coral Cove – the members of the Coordination Committee, which has been leading the protest of Moolampilly evictees, states that justice is not being served equally. “We have no hard feelings and we are not against the government giving compensation to the people being evicted. We know how it feels to be thrown out of your home. But unfortunately, the state government, which readily agreed to pay Rs 25 lakhs as temporary relief to each family [in Maradu], has not implemented a rehabilitation plan declared 11 years ago. Almost 27 people who were evicted from Moolampilly have lost their lives without getting rehabilitation,” says Francis Kalathunkal, general convener of the Coordination Committee. The Brahmapuram eviction In 2008-09, about 150 families were evicted in Brahmapuram due to the planned construction of a waste treatment plant. Brahmapuram is situated about 15.3 kilometres away from Maradu municipality, a ward of the Vadavucode-Puthencruz gram panchayat. While many in the state may recall the Moolampilly eviction, the Brahmapuram evictees have been largely forgotten over time. “Over 150 families had to leave their homes in two phases for the construction of the waste treatment plant. While the first phase of eviction was for the construction of the plant, the second phase happened after people living in the region put forward their demands. Before the plant was even constructed, the Kochi Corporation began dumping garbage here. It was impossible to live there and we protested for the government to take over our land,” says Suresh Kumar, one of the residents who lived in the region. Though the families were given compensation, according to the evictees, it was not a fair amount. “It was only when we tried to buy another plot of land and house did we realise that the compensation was meagre. Cases were filed by the families who were evicted in both phases. The Perumbavoor sub divisional court gave a verdict in support of the families. But only 60 percent of the compensation amount was received by those who were evicted in the second phase, while those who were evicted earlier have not received any further compensation despite a court order,” Suresh added. For Siju, who was one of the residents in Brahmapuram, compensation is useless if delays continue. “This was my mother’s land. She is currently being treated for cancer. If the money cannot even be used to save her life, what is the point of compensation?” he asks. Sadly, the waste treatment plant promised for the area — the one for which so many families had to sacrifice their homes — has remained a distant dream for Brahmapuram, which has turned into a massive garbage dump.

Body 2:

Crime

The unfolding crime saga in Kerala has several similarities to the case of Harold Shipman - the British general practitioner widely known as 'doctor death'.

Sreedevi Jayarajan

Over the last few days, Kerala has been in the grips of an extraordinary crime saga involving multiple deaths within an extended family in Kozhikode's Koodathai town. Six people including Tom Jose, his wife Annamma, their son Roy Thomas and 3 others passed away in eerily similar ways between 2002 and 2016. At the centre of these deaths is 47-year-old Jolly Amma Joseph - the former wife of Roy Thomas who is now married to his cousin Shaju. On Sunday, police officers who had taken Jolly into custody said that she had confessed to killing all 6 of her family members, including her husband Roy and a 10-month old child, by giving them cyanide. According to the police, Jolly's confession is a blood curdling tale, and is being compared to a 2-decade old account of a British doctor - who is widely regarded as one of the most dangerous serial killers in history. Speaking to media persons on Sunday, Kozhikode Rural SP KG Simon dodged a question on whether Jolly had other targets she intended to eliminate. However, in his answer, the SP compared Jolly's case to that of Harold Shipman - a British general practitioner who was convicted of murdering 15 of his patients and suspected to have murdered as many as 250. "I can't tell for sure if she (Jolly) had other targets in mind. But we have all read about Harold's case. I feel like this case also is similar to that," Simon added. Known by many names - 'Angel of death, doctor death' and the 'good doctor' - Harold Shipman and his crimes had a profound effect on the British medical practice and laws, which were altered after his conviction. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in February 2000 with the judge recommending that he never be released from prison. In 2004, Shipman killed himself on the eve of his 58th birthday while inside his prison cell at Her Majesty's Wakefield prison - the largest high security jail in the United Kingdom. Modus Operandi Jolly Amma Joseph's crimes unfolded in the small town of Koodathai in Kerala, where she allegedly poisoned six of her family members over the course of 14 years. Though the police have not disclosed the hard evidence in their possession, they say that Jolly has confessed to the killings. Twenty years ago, Shipman too had carried out most of his murders in the small towns of West Riding in Yorkshire, and Hyde in Manchester, United Kingdom, where he worked in 3 different hospitals. Back in 1998, the then 52-year-old Shipman was believed to have killed an unconfirmed number of patients by administering lethal doses of diamorphine or heroin to them. While Shipman's modus operandi was overdosing his victims with heroin. In Jolly Joseph's case, cyanide was the preferred toxin say police. In 2011, cyanide traces were first detected in Jolly's husband Roy Mathew when he passed away mysteriously. However, she brushed aside doubts by stating that Roy had financial problems and may have killed himself. A case of suspicious death was registered after this. Currently investigations have revealed that all of Jolly's victims had consumed food immediately before they died- leading to the police confirming that they were all poisoned. In 2002, her first victim - Annamma Thomas, also her mother-in-law - had passed away after drinking mutton soup in her house. Reasons for murders Following Jolly's interrogation, Kozhikode police said that she had confessed to different motives for each murdering.While property was the reason in a few murders, anger and passion seem to have been the motives behind other crimes. Despite going on to become oe the most of the most sensational cases in the world, the UK police could not point to specific reasons for Harold Shipman's murders. In fact, after his suicide in 2004, families of several of Shipman's victims were left disappointed and devoid of answers. They wanted to know why he committed these murders. To date, the intent behind Shipman's murders mostly remain an unsolved mystery, except in the case of his last victim - Kathleen Grundy - where money was found to have been the motivating factor. Grundy died in her house in 1998 and it was Shipman, her doctor, who was the last person known to have visited her. After murdering her, Shipman had forged a will which excluded Grundy's family and left a significant chunk of her wealth to him. The forgery was detected after a lawyer appointed by Grundy's family suspected the authenticity of the will. Authorities later discovered a typewriter in Shipman's residence which was used to print the fabricated will. Exhuming bodies to uncover the crime Like the 6 bodies in Koodathai which was exhumed following suspicions of murder, Kathleen Grundy's remains too was exhumed from her grave following which doctors found traces of diamorphine (heroin) in her body. In Jolly's case, the mortal remains of six people, including 10-month old Alphine - the child of her current husband Shaju - was exhumed a few days ago. While Alphine was supposed to have choked to death, following much deliberation and facts, the police confirmed that the child's death too showed signs of cyanide poisoning. Murders detected after several years Lastly, in both cases - the pattern of murders which exposed the crimes was identified after decades- leading to the loss of many lives. In Shipman's case, a total of 250 of patients are believed to have died in his hands. However, he was only found guilty beyond reasonable doubt in 15 of those deaths. His crimes were first brought to light by Linda Reynolds of the Donneybrook Surgery in Hyde (where Shipman had practiced), who found an extraordinarily high death rate among his patients. While investigations in the Koodathai murders are ongoing, authorities and family members failed to notice the pattern in the murders- leading to the loss of 6 lives over 14 years. Jolly and two others have only been booked for Roy Thomas' murder and it remains to be seen if the police can unearth any evidence other than the confessions to tie them to the other deaths. Also read: Kerala woman held: Allegedly confessed to giving cyanide to husband and five relatives

Body 2:

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Were six members of a Kerala family poisoned to death? Woman relative in custody

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Kerala woman held: Allegedly confessed to giving cyanide to husband and five relatives

Kerala woman who was locked up by her son and found in critical condition, dies

Maradu flat demolition: Crime Branch searches offices of three builders

Maradu, Moolampilly and Brahmapuram: The fate of evictees from three places in Ernakulam

'Doctor death': The British serial killer that Kerala cops compared Jolly Joseph with