KOCHI: Palluruthy native John Binoy D’Cruz and the grandmother of Nora Maria, the toddler allegedly killed by him, took a room at a hotel in Kaloor for rent claiming to be a couple. The hotel staff also suspect John had been there once. Hotel Olessia’s manager Thahaceer Abdul Khadar said John, Cipssy P M and two children took the room on Saturday night. John and Cipssy submitted a copy of their driving licence and voter ID card, respectively, but did not specify the reason for their stay.
“They introduced themselves as a couple. They claimed the children to be theirs. We were doubtful as the woman looked much older than John. Howeve r, since the documents were authentic, we allotted them a non-airconditioned double room (No 308) on the second floor. We charged Rs 1,000 per day, but they paid only two days’ rent. We suspect John had taken a room at our hotel once before,” said Thahaceer. He said the woman went out on Monday night around 10.30pm.
She came back at 1.45am on Tuesday and told her daughter was seriously ill. Around 1.55am, she was seen rushing outside with Nora. The boy was walking with her. John also went outside and they took the girl to a hospital.
“By Tuesday morning, we received information that the girl had died. Later, the police came to the hotel and inquired about their stay. The forensic team examined the room on Wednesday morning,” he said. Hotel officials said they did not hear any noise from the room.
“There were other guests in the hotel. But there was no noise from the room. They family mostly bought food from outside and rarely ordered from our restaurant. The police have sealed the room now,” said an employee.