Thiruvananthapuram: A neighbourhood once known for power and privilege, near the Kerala Chief Minister’s residence, became the scene of a horrific crime in April 2017, when four members of a family were found murdered inside their two-storey home in Nanthancode.

What initially appeared to be a fire accident soon unravelled into one of Kerala’s most disturbing crimes. The bodies of Dr Jeen Padma, her husband Prof Raja Thangam, their daughter Caroline, and a 70-year-old visually impaired relative, Lalitha, were found in the house.

Three were partially charred in the upstairs bathroom. Lalitha’s body was found wrapped in a bedsheet. A half-burnt human dummy had been placed in the house in an apparent attempt to mislead investigators. When their bodies were found, all victims had been dead for at least three days.

While police and media swarmed the scene, one family member was missing — Jeen Padma and Raja Thangam’s son, Cadell Jeanson Raj. Cadell, or “Kuttan” to those who knew him, led a quiet life. He rarely stepped out, never drove, and kept to himself. But inside the house, investigators found damning clues ... a blood-stained axe, a machete, and a petrol can. It was evident the killings were not impulsive.

Police said Cadell had planned the murders meticulously. He allegedly ordered weapons online, lured family members one by one, killed them on different days, and even ate meals between the killings. Afterwards, he tried to destroy evidence by setting the bodies on fire.

Despite coming from an affluent family that owned estates and properties worth crores of rupees, Cadell allegedly wiped out his entire family without remorse. Police found no signs of mental illness. He was arrested soon after, with all evidence pointing to him as the prime suspect.

What led a man from such privilege to commit one of Kerala’s most cold-blooded family murders remains a haunting question. Onmanorama’s Kerala Crime Files revisits the Nanthancode murders. Listen to the podcast for the full story.