Thiruvananthapuram: Sushama Kumari, the mother of the accused in the Vellarada Jose murder case, said that her son, Prajin, was a troublemaker at home. Prajin (28) hacked his father, Jose, to death on February 5. Talking to Manorama News on Monday, Sushama said that Prajin used to assault her and her husband, Jose, brutally.

"He was staying upstairs in our house. My husband and I were restricted from entering the upper floor. He used to beat us up even for trying to step on the staircase," said Sushama.

"We noticed a change in his behaviour after he returned from China. He was studying MBBS there. He frequently demanded money from his father, and whenever his father refused, Prajin turned violent. He used to destroy household items. Once, he even broke the water pipe. My husband then called the police, who instructed him to report at the police station. We lived in constant fear," she added.

On Sunday, Sushama revealed that Prajin practised black magic and that she often heard him chanting mantras inside his room.

Manorama News reported that a quarrel between Prajin and his father over the payment for his MBBS certificate from a university in China ended up in the murder. When Prajin contacted the university, they informed him the certificate would not be issued as the payment was pending. Though Jose had made the payment, university officials claimed they had not received it. Following this, a violent Prajin argued with his father. However, after calming himself down, he asked his father to take him to a psychiatrist.

"But on Wednesday night, Prajin made a shocking move, suddenly attacking his father while he was lying on the sofa. Prajin reportedly hacked his father with a machete and chopped off his head to confirm his death. The murder took place while Sushama was attending an online prayer session. After committing the crime, Prajin surrendered to the police the same night. In his confession, he claimed that he killed his father for not giving him enough freedom.

Police have launched a detailed investigation into the murder case. Mystery surrounds Prajin's background, as investigators found some idols, strange weapons, and a pile of hair dumped in a corner of his room. His phone has been sent for forensic examination, as he had reportedly formatted it four days before the murder. Additionally, he had tonsured his head a few days before committing the crime.