Prime accused in Hemachandran murder case claims victim died by suicide; police probe continues

In a fresh twist to the Hemachandran murder case, the prime accused, Noushad, released a Facebook video on Wednesday claiming that Hemachandran died by suicide due to mounting debts.

The Kozhikode police on June 28 found the body of Hemachandran, a businessman from Wayanad, buried in a remote forest near the Kerala–Tamil Nadu border. He had been missing since March 2024. 

The accused, Noushad, who is currently in Abu Dhabi on a visiting visa, said he had informed the police before travelling abroad and would surrender upon his return.

Police, however, said Noushad left the country while the investigation had reached a crucial stage and added that steps are being taken to extradite him.

“My name is Noushad, the first accused in the Hemachandran murder case. I am not absconding. I did not murder Hemachandran. He killed himself,” he said in the video.

Noushad alleged that Hemachandran owed money to nearly 30 people. He said they had travelled together to collect money Hemachandran claimed he was expecting, but when that failed, they made him sign an agreement and took him back to his house.

“He then asked for one more day, saying he would get money from Mysore. The police have his location details. Later, he requested a place to stay for another day, and I agreed. I even got him food. The next day, I found him dead—he had killed himself,” Noushad said.

Noushad said that his friend told him to bury the body as there was no other option. “I have no issues serving jail time for something I did, but not for something I didn’t do. I request another postmortem examination because the earlier report that says Hemachandran was assaulted till death is wrong,” he added.

The police have not yet confirmed the authenticity of the video. A police officer involved in the probe, Jijesh P K, told Onmanorama that a cyber forensics team is examining the clip.

Evidence collection
As part of the investigation, police said they traced places Hemachandran had visited in Wayanad, including a house in Kaivettumoola near Beenachi in Sulthan Bathery. The house had reportedly been entrusted to Noushad to rent out by a woman who had moved to Malappuram to live with her husband. Noushad allegedly brought Hemachandran to stay there.

Acting on a statement by another accused, Ajesh (27), a native of Palakunnu near Nenmeni, police recovered two mobile phones belonging to Hemachandran from an isolated spot in Lalitha Sandrapuri near Mysuru. The phones, found without SIM cards, have been sent for forensic examination.

According to cyber police, Ajesh and another accused, Jyothis (35) from Kodangad near Valluvadi in Kozhikode, had changed 14 SIM cards over the recent months to evade tracking. Both were produced before a court in Kozhikode.

Meanwhile, the body of Hemachandran will be handed over to the family once DNA testing is complete. Cops have collected blood samples from his mother and sister, who live in Coorg, and his daughter to confirm the identity.