THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Twenty-three-year-old A R Affan, who went house-to-house murdering four members of his family and his girlfriend in Venjaramoodu, had borrowed Rs 10 lakh from four lenders and was required to pay Rs 10,000 daily to clear his dues, police said on Wednesday.
Affan’s mother Shemi (47) who was also attacked but survived, had taken a loan by mortgaging their house, which was later seized by the bank. The family’s total debt stood at Rs 75 lakh, leading to frequent disputes, with relatives blaming Affan’s extravagant lifestyle and failed business ventures in the Gulf for their financial collapse.
The probe team further said Affan will undergo psychiatric counselling by a panel of expert psychiatrists. The psychiatric panel will evaluate whether Affan was influenced by the so-called dark web, in carrying out the brutal killings. “He was neither a drug addict nor a professional killer. The victims were not his enemies but close relatives and his girlfriend. Yet, he committed such a heinous act. He claims acute financial distress drove him, but we need to investigate further,” an officer said. Authorities are also analyzing his social media activity, call records, and financial transactions to determine if there were other influencing factors.
After attempting to kill his mother, Affan went straight to a hotel bar at Venjaramoodu and spent about 10 minutes there. After having two pegs, he bought a half-litre liquor bottle as well. He then went to his grandmother Salma Beevi’s (95) and murdered her. Following this, he took her gold chain weighing a sovereign, pledged it for Rs 74,000 at a financial firm, and transferred Rs 38,000 to an account. Affan also transferred Rs 2,500 to each of his lenders via Google Pay to prevent them from showing up at his house demanding money.
He then proceeded to the house of his father’s elder brother Abdul Latheef, 63, where he killed him and his wife, Shahida Beevi (57). His girlfriend Farzana (21) and his younger brother Afsan (13) were his next targets.
After the murders, Affan planned to end his life by consuming rat poison. However, even after two hours, he remained alive and decided to surrender to the police. Meanwhile, his mother remains in stable condition at Sree Gokulam Medical College Hospital. Her statement is expected to be crucial in the investigation, as she is the only survivor of the attack. Affan, currently under observation at the medical college hospital, is likely to be discharged on Thursday and will be questioned further by the probe team
