Thodupuzha: Seventy-nine-year old Hamid looked cool and composed when he was brought here for evidence collection on Saturday.
Without a hint of remorse, the accused ate full meals and even demanded mutton and fish for his next course, according to police sources.
Hamid had killed his son and three other members of the family over a property dispute by setting their house on fire in Cheenikuzhy, Thodupuzha of Idukki on Saturday. The deceased are Faisal aka Shibu(45), his wife Sheeba (40), and their daughters Mehrin (16) and Asna(13).
Spotless attire, frequent family fights
Local residents had only seen Hamid in a clean, spotless attire till then. An affluent man who constantly quarrelled with his children- the residents of Cheenikuzhi had little insight to offer about Hamid otherwise.
As a child Hamid was born and brought up in Alikunnel family of Cheenikuzhy which operated a mill and engaged in rice trade. Alikunnel family traditionally owned land and shops.
He seldom interacted with the locals in the town.
Though not commonly quoted as a problematic person, a few of his neighbours say that there was hardly a moment without problems at Hamid's home. He filed cases against his sons for the smallest of issues.
About 20 years ago Hamid left his wife and three children and started living with another woman at Karimpanal in Idukki. Since Hamid had abandoned his family, his father gave the entire family property to his (Hamid’s) three children. Five years ago, Hamid returned to Cheenikuzhi after a fight in Karimpanil house.
During this period, his daughter had ended her life. His wife Fathima died three years ago. Hamid’s younger son Faizal and his family lived in the ancestral property spread over three-acre land.
When Hamid returned to his ancestral place at Cheenikuzhy one fine morning things went downhill.
There were complaints that he harassed his grandchildren. On his return, Hamid started earning a livelihood by lending money on interest.
In the meantime, he approached the local court alleging that his sons were not looking after him during old age. The court heard his plea following which he got 18 cents of land back. Besides, the court also issued an order asking the family to provide a room to Hamid and food three times a day.
With Hamid demanding more land and more financial support, frequent fights ensued in the house. Things worsened by the day forcing Faizal to think about alternative options. He decided to hand over the ancestral house to Hamid and shift to a new house along with his family.
The local residents told police that Hamid had threatened Faizal that he would not allow him and his family to shift to the new house. Faizal even lodged a complaint with the Thodupuzha police on February 25 regarding the death threats issued by his father.
Hamid lodged complaints with the police against his sons on several occasions. Those who knew Faizal were aware that he was extremely worried about the threats issued by his father. Fearing an attack, Faizal kept his two daughters close. They even slept in the same room.
Neighbour narrates incident
“I was woken up from sleep at 12.45 am by a phone call from Faizal. 'Brother please help' I heard Asanamol's screams over the phone,” Faizal's neighbour and friend Rahul Rajan says.
“Soon I rushed to their house which was already on fire by that time. The house was locked from the front side.”
“When I broke open the main door, I was shocked to see Hamid throwing a bottle of petrol from the hall towards the bedroom. After pushing aside Hamid, I rushed to the bedroom. By that time Faizal, his wife and children had locked themselves up in the bathroom. The bed was on fire.”
“It was extremely difficult to see anything because of the fire and thick smoke. I could not go towards the bathroom. At this time Hamid threw another bottle of petrol towards the room. I was horrified and I came outside to save my life. Soon I rushed to get water. But there was no water in the tank. There was no power supply either.”
“With time running out, I ran towards my house to start the motor as the water connection was linked to it. To my horror I found that Hamid had already drained out the entire water from the tank and also snapped the electricity connection to the water pump.”
“When I returned to the house , Hamid had already fled from the backyard.
Meanwhile, fire force personnel came and put out the fire. When they broke open the door of the bathroom, the charred bodies of the four clung to each other, were seen. These were the children who grew up in my house. It was a horrific scene. I could not look at that direction. Had I reached a little early, perhaps I could have saved them.”
Dream house
Only final touches remained to be done in Mohammad Faizal’s new house. In the car porch there was a four-door refrigerator and interlock tiles for the floor.
The children Mehreen and Asna died a tragic death leaving behind their unfulfilled dream of living in the new house. Mohammad Faizal and his family had decided to move to the 3000 sq feet two storey new house after the holy month of Ramzan. Faizal started the construction of their new house about six months ago using the money they received after selling his wife’s property and a loan from a bank. About 80 lakh rupees had already been spent on the house. Faizal had planned to give the ancestral house to his father Hamid and move to the new house along with his family.
Faizal’s Mehreen store is a small supermarket in Cheenikuzhi. The name of the supermarket is the same as that of his elder daughter Mehreen. Faizal worked in the Gulf for many years and started the supermarket on returning to Kerala. Since his wife’s house in Mankuzhy was close by, Faizal was keen to stay at his native place . His wife Sheeba assisted him in the business daily. Sheeba used to make sweets priced at Rs 5 a piece for sales. Their daughter Mehreen also helped at the shop .
Faizal who owned a supermarket used work in the shop till late evening. His two daughters studied at a house in the neighbourhood and returned home only at night. What is tragic is that Faizal and his family left without even spending a day in their new house.
Not even an iota of remorse
Normally people who indulge in such crimes have some kind of personality disorder, says Dr Ramesh Chandran, Consultant Psychiatrist of Thodupuzha district hospital.
This is the case for those with Anti-Social Personality Disorder (ASPD) or those who are addicted to drugs. A good percentage of people who take the life of others for their personal gains are affected by Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD). These people would go to any extent and resort to any method to achieve their objectives. There is a possibility of many of these people becoming drug addicts.
They would not have any guilt or remorse even after indulging in the highest crime. Such personality disorders do not happen all of a sudden. The surroundings in which a person grows up is also responsible for such personality disorder or mental state.
One can react only if the history of the accused in Cheenikuzhy crime is known. This man is aware of the crime that he had committed and its consequences. From the news it could be gathered that he had nursed enmity against his son and family for years.
