Kasargod: Debt of several lacs led Soni to murder family, end his life: police
Stephan Kayyar
Daijiworld Media Network - Kasargod
Kasargod, Jan 30: A day after a family of four was found dead in a car near Mayipady here, police have found that the head of the family was in a debt running into several lacs of rupees.
Soni Kutti (46), resident of Kudlu and employee at BHEL, his wife Theresiamma (39), a nurse at Kasargod general hospital, and their children Jerin (12) and Jewel (10) were found dead under mysterious circumstances inside an Alto car on Tuesday January 29.
Based on a death note and circumstancial evidence, police suspect that Soni may have murdered his family at their residence in Kudlu and brought their bodies in the car to Mayipady, before himself committing suicide by cutting the gas pipe of the car.
DySP K V Raghuram said that police examined Soni's diary and learnt that he was running a money-lending business and was in a debt of around Rs 45 lac. It is said that for the past two weeks Soni was under a state of depression.
It is suspected that he might have murdered his wife and children at around 3.50 on Tuesday morning, after which he wrote a death note that he cannot live without his wife and children. "All responsibilities are entrusted to James of Bangalore," he wrote.
Police also found a sickle and a can of toxic spray from the house. Though police suspect it to be a case of murder committed by Soni, relatives of the couple have expressed doubts about the theory as the couple lived in a decent two-storey house and owned a car too, and both were earning.
Questions have also been raised about Soni's modus operandi, as to why he would go to the extent of bringing the bodies in the car to Mayipady and commit suicide there.
However, initial investigations have almost established that Theresiamma, Jerin and Jewel were hacked to death. As many as 10 gashes were found on Theresiamma's body, including 6 on the head and 4 on the face. Jewel's ear was broken and there were injury marks on her neck, head and both hands. There were gashes on Jerin's face and head also. It is suspected that they were done to death while they were asleep.
The bodies were sent to Periyaram Medical College Hospital for post-mortem. The weapon used in the murder has also been sent for examination.