Malayali woman, 2 children murdered at Kettering in England; husband in custody

A Malayali nurse and her two children were murdered at Kettering in Northamptonshire, UK, on Thursday. The woman's husband, a delivery man for restaurants, has been arrested on suspicion of the triple murder, said Northamptonshire police.

People's representatives back home in Kerala identified the deceased as Anju (40), a native of Vaikom in Kottayam; and her children Jeeva (6) and Jhanvi (4). 

The woman's husband Chelevalan Saju (52), a native of Kombanpara at Kannur's Padiyoor panchayat, is being questioned by Northamptonshire police.

The investigators were not seeking any other suspects in the case at this time, police said in a statement.

To be sure, the Northamptonshire police have not yet made public the identities of the victims or the suspect. 

Padiyoor panchayat B Shamsudhin, who visited the Saju's house at Kombanpara, said Anju had been working as a staff nurse with Kettering General Hospital for the past year. "Both her children were born at Padiyoor, but they were staying in Vaikom with their mother before moving to Kettering," he said. They used to visit Padiyoor during holidays and vacations, he said.

Saju was working in Saudi Arabia. "When Anju got the job in the UK, he too joined them," Shamsudhin said. "He is working as a delivery man for restaurants there," said the panchayat president.

The murders came to light when Anju did not turn up for duty at the General Hospital on Thursday. The police said the crime was reported at 11.15 am on Thursday, which is around 4.45 pm Indian time. 

The woman and her children were found with serious injuries in their house at Petherton Court in Kettering, around 140km from London, police said. "Despite the best efforts of paramedics and police officers, the woman died at the scene and the two children later died in hospital," Local Policing Area Commander – Superintendent Steve Freeman said in the statement.

He said the detectives were working to establish what happened in the house. “We understand that the local community, and indeed many people across the country, will be shocked by this event. It is a desperately sad incident and I want to be absolutely clear on our unwavering commitment in establishing what has happened here and in seeking justice for this woman and these young children," the officer said.

Freeman said a forensic autopsy would be done in the coming days to establish the cause of death.