The arrest of Jolly Shaju and two others in connection with suspected serial murders has left Koodathayi , a village located about 30 kilometres from Kozhikode city, in shock. For the local people, the deaths, which had happened in different times, had appeared natural. There was no suspicion as the family had maintained a good rapport with everyone in the village.
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Tom Thomas and his wife Annamma were teachers for a long time and both had a wide network of students. Many of them were present during the funeral of the elderly citizens and had taken part in the subsequent memorial meetings. Though the death of their son Roy Thomas in 2011 was a shock for many, it was generally believed to be a case of suicide.
The confidential investigation launched by the Crime Branch came to the attention of the local people only when the investigators decided to open the graves of the six victims and collect the remains for forensic examination. The squad had maintained secrecy in all the phases of investigation and had placed the suspected persons under surveillance.
The complainant
Rojo Thomas, son of Tom Thomas, had told the squad that he too was under the scanner of the murderers. The man and his family could not be targeted as they were settled abroad, police sources said.
It was Rojo’s persistent demand that prompted the Crime Branch to take up the case which was not probed in depth by the local police. He had approached the squad multiple times with the same incriminating evidence against the suspects. It was upon his request that the Crime Branch decided to open the graves. According to police sources, Jolly, the prime suspect, had managed to win the trust of family members and neighbours and convince them that the deaths had occurred due to heart ailments, the Crime Branch sources said.
