THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A full day after serial murders claimed five lives, the residents of Perumala are still at sea regarding the motive behind the 23-year-old accused’s dastardly acts. They simply cannot fathom what could possibly have gone wrong with Afan — who always wore a faint smile but preferred to keep himself at an arm’s length from others — to unleash such painful deaths on people close to him.
The queries regarding Afan’s conduct and behaviour are met with befuddling responses:
Why should he give them such a painful death? Many now say he was under the influence of drugs, but we haven’t heard of him taking drugs. Did he really take drugs? Did the family’s objection to his romantic relationship lead him to commit the crime? Why would one kill that many people if he could settle the dues by selling off the house? Is he himself a victim of a violent mind? More questions than answers.
And the cops too seem clueless about the motive behind the murders that have made people discuss overnight an array of topics, ranging from financial woes post the Covid-19 period to MDMA and the impact of a violent genre of films. Equally puzzling is the local residents’ assessment of Afan’s character.
Those living in the vicinity of his house vouch for his goodness.
“He always carried an air of poise wherever he went. He was protective of his family, especially his younger brother Ahsan. He would take his mother to the bank and for shopping and we’ve never heard him misbehaving with his mother or other family members,” said Suhra Salim, a block panchayat member, who lives in the neighbourhood.
The neighbours were aware that the family had some financial issues but they still feel that the debt was not that enormous, which they could not repay.
“There were issues as Shemi, his mother, used to sell eggs to make money. She once told me that the money her husband sent from abroad was barely enough to pay bank loans. She had joined some chit funds and was hoping to use the chit amount to alleviate their financial woes. She never said that things were out of control,” a neighbour said.
Another person, who has known Afan for years, said he had become reticent in recent years. “His mother was very protective and didn’t allow him to mingle with people much. He wasn’t too outgoing either, and was more into cars and bikes, which is the case with most people of his age,” another neighbour said.
A youngster in the neighbourhood said they have not heard about Afan taking drugs.
“We haven’t heard from his other friends about him taking drugs. He was active at night and used to go out, but we never found him in an intoxicated state. Maybe on a few occasions he had drinks, but not drugs,” the youth said.
Afan had joined a bachelor’s degree course at a private college near Nedumangadu, but did not pass the course, sources said.