Six cases have been registered against Afan under the Pangode Police Station and the Venjaramoodu Police Station limits on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram.
Published Feb 28, 2025 | 10:02 AM ⚊ Updated Feb 28, 2025 | 11:36 AM
Afan's father Abdul Rahim at the Thiruvananthapuram airport.
Synopsis: Abdul Rahim, father of the Afan accused of killing five people, arrived in Thiruvananthapuram after seven years abroad. Afan confessed to the police that he killed his grandmother out of revenge. Meanwhile, the police are investigating whether financial pressure triggered the crime.
Abdul Rahim, the father of Venjaramoodu mass murder accused AR Afan (23), arrived in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, 28 February, after being unable to return to Kerala for seven years due to financial troubles in Saudi Arabia.
On Thursday, the Kerala Police had recorded the statement of Afan, the sole accused in the murder of five people, including his relatives and his 22-year-old girlfriend, in Venjaramoodu in the Thiruvananthapuram district.
Six cases have been registered against him under the Pangode Police Station and the Venjaramoodu Police Station limits on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram.
Rahim, who had been working in Dammam after facing financial losses in Riyadh, landed at the Thiruvananthapuram airport at 7.45 am on Friday, where his relatives and locals received him. He is expected to meet Varkala MLA DK Murali before heading to his family home in Pangode.
He is also likely to visit the graves of the deceased and see his wife, who is undergoing treatment at a hospital.
Afan is accused of killing 88-year-old grandmother Salma Beevi, his younger brother Afsan (14), his girlfriend Farsana, his uncle Latheef and aunt Shahida and attempting to kill his mother Shemi.
Afan confessed to the police that he killed his grandmother, Salma Beevi, out of revenge. He claimed she constantly blamed his mother for their financial struggles, which led to frequent arguments.
Afan went to his grandmother’s house with the sole intention of killing her. Without speaking a word, he struck her on the head with a hammer, took her 1.5 sovereign gold chain, pawned it for ₹74,000, repaid ₹40,000 in debt, and then went to his uncle’s house.
According to recent reports, he spent only nine minutes at the crime scene.
Afan’s statement regarding his grandmother’s murder was taken at the hospital, where doctors advised that he remain under medical care for a few more days. According to a probing officer, the magistrate reached the hospital and granted the remand.
According to Afan, there was a debt of a₹65 lakh. However, Rahim reportedly stated that there was a debt of only ₹15 lakh. The police are expected to record his statement later in the day.
Afan revealed to the police that he informed his girlfriend Farsana about the three brutal murders before killing her as well. He allegedly called Farsana home after believing he had eliminated all other family members.
Entering through the back door, he took her to his room upstairs and confessed to the crime. Hearing that, she reportedly asked him, “How will we live now?”.
However, soon after that question, Afan allegedly struck her on the head with a hammer, leaving one side of her face completely disfigured. Afan also told the police that he had no prior intention to kill his aunt.
Afan’s phone records, chat history, and bank transactions have been examined, identifying several individuals who had lent him money.
These individuals have been made witnesses in the case. Investigations continue as police work to gather further evidence to strengthen the case.
Meanwhile, the police have concluded that financial distress was the primary motive behind the massacre. Reports suggest that Afan had borrowed money from multiple sources to settle an earlier debt, leading to persistent harassment from lenders.
Officials are probing whether he faced any undue pressure on the day of the murders, which may have provoked his actions. Investigators are also looking into how the borrowed money was spent.
On Monday, the Pangode police recorded the arrest of Afan, accused of bludgeoning his grandmother, Salma Beevi. The rest of the cases fall under the Venjaramoodu Police Station.
Afan is currently at the Government Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, where he is undergoing treatment. His detailed statement was recorded by the police.
A medical board, which assessed his health condition, will submit its report to the medical college superintendent. If cleared for discharge, Afan will be produced before the Nedumangad court. Otherwise, the police would take the magistrate to the hospital for remand proceedings.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil with inputs from Sreelakshmi Soman and Dileep V Kumar.)
