As cops are yet to complete the probe into the murder of woman police officer Soumya Puspakaran by a colleague, the victim's relatives made crucial revelations regarding the circumstances that led to the crime.
Soumya's elder son, 13, told his paternal uncle Shaji that he had seen his mother talking for hours with the accused N A Ajaz over phone at night.
"Mother raised her voice and argued with him almost every night. I had heard her asking him not to call or visit her again," Soumya's son told Shaji, who is the elder brother of Soumya's husband Sajeev.
Speaking to Onmanorama, Shaji said Soumya's children, who are now safe at their paternal home, haven't recovered from the shock of their mother's sudden death. Her second son, who studies in fourth standard, has not yet accepted the fact that his mother is no more.
The children informed their uncle that Soumya feared an attack from Ajaz since the beginning of 2018.
"According to her elder son, Soumya feared an attack from Ajaz before the end of his sixth standard. This was in early 2018," Shaji said.
Soumya's children are familiar with Ajaz's face and his voice. They said that they had seen him and heard him speak to their mother many a time.
Soumya's second son said she used to weep in the bed for hours at night. After her last argument with Ajaz over phone, Soumya told her elder son about the chances of getting murdered by Ajaz.
"Mother used to cry herself to sleep at night. When I asked her why she cried, she would hug me tightly and say, 'Son, if ever your mother gets murdered, the killer would be Ajaz'," the 13-year-old said.
Soumya's husband yet to reach
Soumya's husband Sajeev is a plumber at a private firm in Lybia. According to his siblings, Sajeev was unaware of Soumya's friendship and financial dealings with Ajaz.
"Soumya gave no clue about Ajaz's threat to her," says Shaji.
Though Sajeev was informed about the incident immediately, he hasn't reached Kerala yet. "Sajeev will most probably reach on Wednesday. A few of his friends are accompanying him," Shaji added.
House construction caused financial strain
Sajeev's relatives have only word of praise for Soumya. She had always been well-behaved and cooperative, they say. According to Sajeev's siblings, Soumya's financial problems started after the construction of their new house.
Soumya's husband had spent several years abroad before his parents fell ill. Though he had started the construction of his new house near his paternal home, he had to return to Kerala owing to the illness of his parents. The huge financial burden eventually fell on Soumya as she decided to complete the house construction.
Though Sajeev's parents died recently and he flew abroad again, Soumya kept struggling to repay her debts. Sajeev is the youngest of four siblings.
"We learnt from her colleagues that she had tried to return Ajaz the borrowed money several times. He kept rejecting it. They get personal loans from their service society. That is why we never expected her to borrow money from Ajaz. Had she revealed her situation, we would have done our level best to help her," says Shaji.
Ajaz's twin brother, parents keep mum
Soumya's killer Ajaz's Vazhakkala residence remains silent and desolate. Ajaz has a twin brother who works with a private firm outside the city. Both the twins were waiting for the remarriage of their divorced sister to seek alliances. The family hesitated to speak to the media when approached.
