KOCHI: In June 2019, a man named Rojo Thomas approached a police station in Kozhikode to file a complaint about his brother’s death almost a decade ago in 2011. At that time, it had been determined that it was a case of suicide.
Even as the reason for Rojo’s sudden suspicion about foul play remains a mystery, his complaint marked the beginning of the sensational Koodathai case. It went on to make international headlines as the police revealed the primary suspect was Jolly Joseph, the ‘beloved’ daughter-in-law of the family.
It was a chillingly bizarre case that unravelled a series of six deaths within the same family: Jolly’s mother-in-law Annamma (2002), father-in-law Tom Thomas (2008), husband Roy Thomas (2011), Roy’s maternal uncle Mathew Manjayadil (2014), Roy’s cousin Shaju Zachariah’s two-year-old daughter Alphine Shaju (2014), and Shaju’s wife Sily Shaju (2016).
In 2017, Jolly and Shaju got married. Shaju, however, filed for divorce in 2021. Spanning over 14 years, these alleged murders, were committed by a seemingly endearing family member. She was reportedly cheery and calm always and took good care of others.
The police noted that Jolly was present during all the deaths. And, according to police, some of her lies – like holding an M.Com degree and working in NIT as a professor – ultimately exposed her shady side.
For the first two murders, she allegedly used rat poison, while cyanide became her weapon of choice for the remaining four. Reports say the initial murder of her mother-in-law, whom Jolly admired, might have been motivated by the need to cover up her lies.
The motives behind the subsequent deaths remain mangled in mystery. Now, National Award-winning filmmaker Christo Tomy is coming up with a Netflix documentary that promises to offer some answers – Curry & Cyanide — The Jolly Joseph Case, set for release on December 22.
“It’s a chilling case. Not because it was macabre; none of the murders were bloody. Nobody even suspected anything,” says Christo, who once worked as an assistant director with Adoor Gopalakrishnan. “I was intrigued about this family and the secrets surrounding it. The story is much more nuanced and layered than what is out there. There are multiple versions available on the internet. Many painted Jolly as a monster. For many, it’s a black-and-white case. But I believe nothing can be that simple.”
Though reluctant to divulge details about the documentary, Christo says he has zoomed in on the family dynamic and how it played out. “A big, happy family, admired by every neighbour…. After each death, how this dynamic changed, how they reinvented themselves and came together as a family, and how those affected are staying with it and coping... The family forms the core of the documentary,” he says.
Ripper reign
When it comes to serial killers, one cannot forget Muthukutty Chandran, aks ‘Ripper’ Chandran, of Kasaragod, who was sent to the gallows in 1991. He was the last to be hanged to death in Kerala. Between 1985 to 1986, he murdered 14 people during robberies. He also raped many of his women victims. Chandran’s modus operandi was similar to Jack the Ripper of London, and hence the moniker. He targeted houses near railway tracks and highways, and used a hammer to kill his victims. Police arrested Chandran, who had started off as a petty criminal, in February 1986 from Chikmagalur in Karnataka. Court sentenced him to death in 1987. He was kept in solitary confinement at the Kannur Central Jail till the day his death warrant was issued in 1991. The character of serial killer Ripper Ravi in the film Ancham Pathira is said to be inspired by Chandran.
Doctor to Interpol watchlist
It all began on a cold, dark night at a railway station in Ooty on July 11, 1996. Omana, an ophthalmologist based in Kannur, killed her lover Muralidharan, from the same district, by injecting poison. She then dismembered his body with surgical precision. Omana packed flesh and bones separately in plastic packets, and stuffed them into a suitcase. Reports say his internal organs chopped up and flushed down the toilet. However, while attempting to flee the crime scene in a taxi, the driver got suspicious of the way she was guarding the suitcase. On reaching the destination, Kodaikanal, the driver alerted the local police. Omana was arrested, and the case was transferred to the Ooty police. She confessed to the crime, and was jailed. However, she secured bail in 2001. Omana did not return to face trial. She disappeared. There were rumours that she was found dead in Malaysia a few years ago. No one knows the truth, and she remains on Interpol’s wanted list.
Manjooran massacre
January, 2001. A bloodbath shocked Kerala. It was yet another normal night for the Manjooran family near Aluva. Two members of the family were asleep, and four others had gone to watch a film. A distant relative and family friend, Antony, visited the house seeking money. As the patriarch, Augustine Manjooran, was away, his sister Kochurani turned Antony away. Enraged, he returned with an axe and a knife, and hacked her to death. Hearing her wail, the siblings’ mother Clara rushed to the crime scene. Antony struck her. On remembering that Augustine had been aware of his visit, Antony decided not to take a chance.
He waited for the rest of the family to return. Using an axe and knife, he then murdered Augustine, his wife Mary and their children, Divya and Jesmon. Antony stole the jewellery his victims were wearing and fled to Mumbai, and from there to Saudi Arabia. The police made Antony’s wife call and coax him to take her along. Antony finally yielded and arrived in Mumbai to take her. Officers gave him a royal welcome. Though the Kerala High Court sentenced Antony aka Antappan to death, the Supreme Court reduced it to life imprisonment a couple of years ago.
In the name of love
The sleepy town of Attingal in Thiruvananthapuram hit headlines in 2014 following a gruesome double murder. The victims were Vijayamma, 57, and her four-year-old granddaughter, Swastika. Nino Mathew, a software engineer working at Technopark, visited Omana’s house and introduced himself as her son Lijeesh’s friend. As the latter was away, Omana called him up on the phone. The next moment, Nino killed Omana and Swastika with a machete and baseball bat. As Lijeesh returned home, Nino attacked him. Lijeesh, however, managed to escape with injuries and sought help from neighbours.The police arrested Nino within 24 hours. He confessed that he and Lijeesh’s wife, Anu Shanthi, had been in a relationship and they planned murders together.Nino was sentenced to death, and Anu to double life imprisonment. Recently, Kerala High Court ordered a death sentence mitigation investigation in Nino’s case.
Ripper 2.0
K P Jayanandan aka Ripper Jayanandan. He was accused of seven murders committed during the course of about 35 robberies in Thrissur and Ernakulam. Jayanandan’s first recorded murder was during a burglary in Mala in 2003. He used a crowbar to bludgeon the 45-year-old house owner, Jose, who was asleep at the time. Jayanandan fled with Rs 17,000 and a video cassette player. There began a series of murders. Most of Jayanandan’s victims were elderly people. He also allegedly raped women in the houses he targeted. Jayanandan, notorious for one successful and several unsuccessful jailbreak attempts, was initially sentenced to death. However, in 2016, the Kerala High Court reduced it to life imprisonment.