NEW DELHI: A 23-year-old man, who allegedly killed five people, including his 13-year-old brother, and seriously injured his mother on Monday, was described as a good-natured, mild-mannered, and soft-spoken individual by neighbours and relatives.
None of the relatives or neighbours could believe that the accused, Afan, could commit the murders.
A woman who runs a tea shop near Afan’s home told a television channel on Tuesday that the accused was very fond of his brother and took care of him.
“I cannot believe he did it. He was a good boy. There is not a single bad thing we can say about him. I even saw his younger brother yesterday afternoon. I had no idea what had happened until the police arrived,” she said.
Similar sentiments were echoed by other neighbours and relatives, who were unable to comprehend that Afan was responsible for the killings.
While the accused claimed to have murdered six people, his mother survived the attack and is currently in hospital.
Afan’s arrest has not yet been formally recorded by the police, as he is presently receiving treatment at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College after allegedly consuming poison.
The police have not yet officially disclosed details of the case, including the motive behind the murders or the weapon used.
However, some news reports suggest that financial difficulties within the family may have been the motive and that Afan allegedly used a hammer to carry out the killings.
The other victims included Afan’s grandmother, who was in her 80s, a young woman believed to be his lover, his paternal uncle, and the latter’s wife.
The mass killings took place across three different houses, reportedly separated by approximately 20 to 25 kilometres, in the Venjaramoodu area near the state capital.
He is suspected to have travelled from one house to another on his motorbike to commit the murders, police said, although they did not disclose the exact sequence in which the killings took place.
The incident came to light when Afan appeared at the Venjaramoodu police station on Monday evening and confessed to the murders.
