THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Pangode police on Thursday recorded the arrest of A R Afan, who went on a killing spree on Monday, in connection with one of the murders that took place in their limits. Afan, who is undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, was arrested for murdering his 88-year-old grandmother Salma Beevi.
Salma was the first victim of Afan’s onslaught that claimed four more lives. The police said Afan stated that it was due to financial issues that he committed the heinous crimes. The police source said two days prior to the murder, Afan had asked Salma for the gold chain that she was wearing. He wanted to pawn the chain to arrange funds to settle another debt. But she refused to give into his demand as he had already pledged a few gold ornaments of hers.
“Afan had pledged a few gold ornaments from his grandmother five months ago. Despite her repeated pleas, the ornaments were not returned. So when Afan asked for her chain, she instantly turned down his request. Because of that he harboured a grudge towards her,” said an officer.
Another cop said Afan and his family have a debt of more than Rs 50 lakh. The family, according to the officer, did not have any financial management plan and paid off their debts by borrowing from another.
“They even borrowed money from usurers at a higher interest rate. From some, they borrowed gold ornaments and pledged it. In certain cases, they pledged the documents of properties of others to procure funds,” said an officer.
The borrowings were made by Afan as well as his mother Shemi, the officer added. “Since his father Abdul Rahim got embroiled in a legal tangle in Saudi Arabia, the family has been living on borrowed money. Rahim’s family had advised them to sell off their house to pay off the debt. The accused claimed that efforts were made to sell the house, but it did not materialise. We are also probing whether this statement of Afan is true,” the officer said.
The police, meanwhile, have concluded that the murders were not conducted under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The investigators said the youth was not even a tippler, and it was to consume rat poison that he took alcohol.
It was also found that Afan murdered his brother Ahsan, his lover Farzana and attacked his mother after raising the volume of the television. Though there were houses nearby, none of the occupants had reported hearing any abnormal noise from Afan’s house.
