Thiruvananthapuram: In a shocking incident, a youth surrendered before Venjaramoodu police, claiming that he had killed six people, including his brother and girlfriend. Manorama News reported that five deaths have been confirmed as police recovered the bodies.

The accused has been identified as Afan (23), a native of Perumala. In his statement to the police, he claimed that he attacked and killed his mother, brother, uncle, aunt,  girlfriend, and grandmother in three different houses. Police recovered five dead bodies and rushed Afan's mother to hospital in a critical condition.

At first, Afan bludgeoned his grandmother Salma Beevi (88) to death with a hammer at her residence in Pangode around 5.30 pm on Monday. His next target was his paternal uncle’s house at SN Puram, where he murdered his uncle Latheef and aunt Shahida. After returning to his home at Perumala, he attacked his younger brother Afsan (14), mother Shemi and his girlfriend Farsana. His brother was a Class 9 student. He reportedly executed the crime within two hours.

Afan’s mother is currently undergoing treatment at Gokulam Medical College Hospital. Manorama News reported that she is in critical condition. 

Manorama News reported that Afan had consumed rat poison before reaching the police station. Police rushed him to Government Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, after his health deteriorated during interrogation. Sources close to police confirmed that his condition is stable.

A neighbour Onmanorama spoke to said he was shocked by what happened. "This boy (Afan) who is said to have done all these murders was not a very sociable person, but I have always seen him carrying his younger brother on his bike. They had looked very close and happy," Shaju, a neighbour and panchayat member, said.

None of the neighbours have any idea of Afan's motive. "I don't know what terrible thing made him do this. It might be something related to the girl he had brought home," Shaju said. He, however, has no idea when the girl (identified as Farzana) started living at his house or whether she came to that house only today (February 24). None of the neighbours had any idea either. Afan's house at Perumala is just 3 km from Venjarammoodu junction.

"We knew there was a girl only when the police came and forced open the door. She was found dead along with the younger boy. Some of the people here who saw the body said the girl's face was badly mutilated. So we have no idea who the girl is," Shaju said.

Afan had been in the Gulf, helping his father in his small furniture business. It was after COVID that he returned from Gulf. The family had fallen into serious financial difficulties after COVID. Afan's father is still in the Gulf.

It is learned that he approached his grandmother to borrow her gold ornaments. In his statement to the police, he claimed that he committed the mass murder after his relatives refused to support him financially.