'He said sorry...Ummachi', Shemi recollects Afan’s last words during attack

Thiruvananthapuram: Shemi alias Shemeena, the lone survivor of her son Afan’s killing spree, has finally opened up about the attack on her. Earlier, she had defended Afan in her statement before the police, claiming that she sustained injuries after falling from a cot. Refusing to accept the truth, she had told her husband that Afan could not have killed anyone. However, she has now given a statement before the police, narrating how Afan attacked her at their residence in Perumala on February 24. 

"At first, he strangled me using my shawl. Later, he told me, 'sorry, Ummachi,' and slammed my head against the wall. Then, he struck my head with a hammer," Shemi recalled.

Confirming Afan’s statement about the family's suicide plan, Shemi admitted that she had watched suicide-related videos on YouTube along with her younger son, Afsan, as part of her preparations to end their lives. She told the police that she had planned to die with her sons after failing to repay a massive debt of around ₹65 lakh.

Manorama News reported that a day before the brutal murders, Afan and Shemi had visited a relative in Thattathumala, urgently requesting ₹50,000. However, the relative humiliated them and refused to give them money, even after they stayed there until 11 pm. Shemi told the police that Afan was deeply upset over the incident.

The next day, the 23-year-old went on a killing spree after brutally attacking his mother. He killed his younger brother Afsan (14), his girlfriend Farsana (22), his grandmother Salma Beevi (88), his paternal uncle Abdul Latheef (69), and his aunt Shajida (59).

The brutal murders came to light after Afan surrendered to the police, claiming that he had killed six people including his mother. Police immediately rushed to the crime scenes and confirmed the death of five people and hospitalised his mother.