Neyyattinkara: The eerie similarities between the suicide of the mother and daughter at Neyyattinkara recently with that of a three member family at Sasthamangalam in Thiruvananthapuram city last year are forcing the police to investigate more on the role of black magic in these gruesome incidents.
The three member family in Paniker's Lane, Sasthamangalam had committed suicide on February 8, 2018, sending shock waves across the city of Thiruvananthapuram. The police had later arrested a well known astrologer based in Kanyakumari in connection with this case. The police had discovered that this family used to conduct pujas and black magic at home even at midnight, the local people had testified before the police that the family did not have much contact or communication with the neighbours and that pujas and rituals were conducted at 12 midnight every day. The obscurity behind those deaths remains unresolved even now.
Sukumaran Nair (65), residing at ‘Vanamali,’ Paniker's Lane, wife Anandavally (55) and son Sanathanan(30) were found hanging inside the house. The family had committed suicide after sending a suicide note to the local police station which included the route to the house as well. The suicide note had mentioned the name of the astrologer from Kanyakumari. The astrologer did not at first cooperate with the police investigation, and was ready to appear before the police at Thiruvananthapuram only when faced with dire consequences for non-cooperation with the police.
The family had written in the suicide note that they had no other relatives and that all their property should be given to the astrologer. The astrologer had predicted earlier that Sanathanan would become a well known ‘Swamy.’ The local people remember that Sukumaran Nair and family used not to welcome even those who went to invite them for weddings. The visitors were not even allowed to step inside the gate. The family had not even bothered to clear the wild undergrowth in front of the house even after new houses had come up in the neighbouring plots.
The house of Chandran, whose wife and daughter committed suicide recently, also remains unfinished. Even though construction had been completed years ago, there are no doors for the kitchen windows. Almost all rooms inside the house except the puja room were completely covered in cobwebs. The police is trying to discover more information about the platform used for black magic behind the house. People who are involved in black magic in Manchavilakam and nearby locations were being observed, according to Biju V Nair, Circle Inspector of Police, Vellarada. Chandran had testified to black magic being conducted at his residence once every two weeks. The black magic was supposed to be held for avoiding the sale of the house upon which the eviction notice had been served. Chandran has also told the police that there were quarrels in the family regarding the sale of the house. Devarajan, brother in law of the deceased Lekha had said that black magic was conducted in the house just the day before the suicides happened. Lekha had informed Devarajan of this by phone.
Lekha, who had set herself on fire along with her daughter Vaishnavi in their house at Neyyattinkara in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram district on May 14, had allegedly told a neighbour hours before her death that her husband Chandran was responsible for her action.
