On a quiet Saturday evening, three cops knocked on the door of a home in a packed housing colony in Munnar. Sunil Kumar, 50, opened the door. As his wife and daughter stood perplexed, he went along with the police. He didn't talk much, didn't resist, just walked along.
For police, it was the end of a manhunt spanning three decades for an accused in an attempt to murder case registered in 1993 at Peruvanthanam police station in Kerala's Idukki district. Deep inside, Sunil always knew this day would come.

Sunil, originally from Moozhikkal in Koruthode, Idukki, was just 18 and an ITI student when he fled after stabbing his paternal uncle. The motive behind the attack, police say, was a deep-rooted family grudge. Sunil’s differently-abled father had reportedly endured years of abuse at the hands of his siblings. Unable to bear the trauma, he later died by suicide. Sunil’s simmering anger eventually erupted in violence, and he stabbed his uncle, Vijayan, now a retired government employee. Before police could arrest him, Sunil disappeared.

Despite initial efforts, police couldn’t trace him, and the case eventually faded into the background. “A chargesheet was filed in 1993 itself, but without the accused in custody, the trial never began,” said Peruvanthanam Station House Officer Thrideep Chandran, who led the team.

Sunil initially moved to Vandiperiyar, then to Kumily, before settling in Chennai. After five years, he relocated to Munnar, where he started life afresh under the alias “Sabu.” He converted to Christianity, married a Tamil woman from an estate in Devikulam, and raised a daughter. Over the years, he tried his hand at various jobs—carpentry, hotel work, and more. To his family and community, he was a simple, active, hardworking man. No one knew his past.

But Sunil’s low-profile life began to unravel in 2022 when he approached his native village office for a caste certificate for his daughter’s education in Coimbatore. That request caught the attention of police tracking Long Pending (LP) cases under a special DANSAF initiative. "We either need a death certificate or must locate the accused to close these cases," explained CPO Sanjumon, who was part of the team that arrested Sunil.

Sanjumon, along with DANSAF officers Suneesh S Nair and Nadeer Muhammed, picked up the lead from the village office record. The cyber cell then monitored the contacts of Sunil’s family in his home village, confirming that "Sabu" in Munnar was indeed the fugitive they had been searching for. Although he changed phone numbers once, cyber surveillance helped trace him again.

“Even in his home village, few remembered him. Most believed he was dead,” said Sanjumon, who grew up as  Sunil’s neighbour. “I had only a faint memory of him—but he’s changed so much.”

The team reached Munnar on Saturday evening in a private vehicle. “It was dark when we arrived. We called out from outside his house. He was home with his wife and 20-year-old daughter,” recounted Thrideep. What followed was unexpected. “He didn’t resist. He remained calm. When questioned, he admitted to the crime without hesitation.”

Sunil changed clothes, stepped into the vehicle, and returned with the officers to Peruvanthanam station. His wife and daughter were in shock—they had never known about his past. “He had told his wife there was an altercation in his village, but gave no details,” said Sanjumon.
In Munnar, Sunil had built a reputation as a trusted carpenter and was a member of the local church committee. He had three assistants working under him. “He told us he always lived in fear. Whenever he saw a police vehicle, his heart would race,” Sanjumon added. A heart patient who has already survived two attacks, Sunil accepted his arrest with composure. “He knew it would happen one day, but didn’t know when.”

"Sunil also reportedly met his younger brother Shibu—a farmer in Kerala—a few years ago, though this hasn’t been confirmed. However, Shibu did visit him at the station after the arrest," said Sanjumon.

Now remanded in judicial custody, Sunil is in Peermade sub-jail as the case heads for trial. Though his uncle, the victim, is still alive, he hasn’t shown any interest in pursuing the case or visiting Sunil. With no one actively pushing for prosecution, police believe Sunil may soon get bail. His mother and three siblings still live in his home village. The punishment for an attempt to murder case is up to 10 years' imprisonment and a fine.