KOCHI: Vinod Antony, a resident of Kaloor here, approached the Ernakulam Central police around 6.30 pm on January 7 with a complaint that his daughter Eva Antony aka Devika, 17, a plus-two student, had failed to return from school. A few hours later, police recovered the body of the girl from a tea estate at Varattappara in Tamil Nadu, about 15 km from Malakkappara, around 1.30 am the following day. It was cold-blooded murder by a jilted lover, Safar Sha, 26, of Kumbalam. They were in a relationship for about a year. After Eva’s parents opposed it, she opted to end the affair. However, Safar kept stalking her, according to the police.
Shockingly, the chilling crime came barely a day after Ashika, 19, hailing from Karakkonam in Thiruvananthapuram, was murdered by her lover Anu, 20. Around 10.30 am, Anu, who stayed in the neighbourhood, broke into Ashika’s house and slit her throat, before killing himself. The two had been in a relationship, but when she broke off, he turned into a jilted lover. Over the years the state has witnessed several instances of brutal killings committed by jilted lovers and the murder of Eva is the latest.
“In these cases, we receive a man missing complaint and apparently the body of the victim will be recovered just hours after the commencement of the investigation. Majority of the crimes committed by jilted lovers were planned ones,” said an officer. Since attacks by jilted lovers are on the rise, authorities are looking into possible steps to be adopted for ending the social malady. According to the Kerala Women’s Commission, it had come across eight such incidents last year. “The situation is alarming as the stalker feels he has the right to take the life of the girl who rejected him. Now, girls are being denied the right to say no,” said Thara M S, member, Women’s Commission.
“Unlike physical fitness, we do not accord much importance to mental fitness. The commission is now providing training on mental fitness to teenagers in the wake of the recent rise in violent attacks by jilted lovers,” she added. Druhin A V, professor, Psychiatry Department, Pariyaram Medical College, Kannur, said girls should remain more vigilant. “At present greater awareness is needed to educate teenagers. Though media and others are reporting these incidents and thereby convey a message majority of the girls are not seeing the bigger picture. Most of the accused in these cases suffer from personality disorder. “Secondly, many of them suffer from possessive mentality. They are of the view that if the girl did not love them nobody should get her love. These youths do not have an insight, an ability to understand where they stand,” he added.
According to Arun B Nair, associate professor, Department of Psychiatry, Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, “The impulsive nature of youngsters these days, patriarchal society’s effect on children, especially on boys and exposure to the digital devices all have an effect on molding the character of a child. The effect of alcohol and drugs on youth adversely affects their behaviour and it slowly takes the form of violence. It prompts them to commit crimes without even thinking of the consequences involved”. “Earlier, when a boy proposed to a girl, he had to wait for days to get her reply. And it wasn’t a ‘yes’ every time. But the boys then were also prepared to take ‘no’ for an answer. Nowadays in this digital era, the reply is conveyed within minutes. It has also affected the youth of today,”
A spate of chilling murders committed by jilted lovers has rocked the state over the last couple of years. TNSE seeks to find out the reasons behind the transformation of these love-obsessed men into
cold-blooded assailants .. said Arun.