Ripper Chandran once tried to kill himself during his solitary confinement, but backed out

After going behind bars, Chandran often turned aggressive when someone referred to him as Ripper. It wasn’t because he recognised the reference to the infamous Jack the Ripper, but because he had no idea what the title meant or why it was attached to him. Ripper Chandran, originally Muthukutti Chandran, had no formal education but was fluent in around five languages.

Chandran’s descent into crime began at home. His first act of violence was reportedly against his own mother. The attack didn’t just reveal his capacity for brutality; it exposed his ability to sever emotional ties with terrifying ease. For Chandran, once rage or greed took over, there was little distinction between kin and strangers.

What followed was a series of murders that would leave indelible marks in Kerala’s criminal history. He targeted the elderly, the devout, and the vulnerable, people who trusted easily. Fourteen lives perished in his hammer blows, crimes committed for mere coins and ornaments.

Sentenced to death, Chandran languished in solitary confinement for years. The extended delay in carrying out his execution took a severe toll on his mental health. Sleepless and mentally tormented, he once even tried to take his own life inside the high-security prison. Despite the isolation, he found a way to end it all, but something snapped, something changed. What held him back? What stopped the man who had no qualms about killing from taking his own life?

Kerala Crime Files on Onmanorama explores the chilling life and final days of Ripper Chandran. The episode features journalist P Gopi, former Kannur Bureau Chief of Malayala Manorama in Kannur, who covered Chandran’s crimes and trial from close quarters.

Chandran’s story is more than a record of violence. It’s a disturbing reminder of how trust can be so easily manipulated, how calm smiles can conceal unspeakable cruelty. Even in death, Chandran remains a haunting figure. A man who killed for coins. A man who struck fear with a hammer. A man whose life and death reflected the darkest corners of the human mind.