39 years as Rajan: How a blurry 1998 black and white photograph exposed 1987 Kollam murder accused Mohanan Pillai

Kollam: It took sustained interrogation and a thorough investigation by the Pooyappally police to establish the identity of Mohanan Pillai, who was absconding for 39 years after murdering his brother-in-law in Veliyam, Kollam.

During questioning, the accused consistently denied being Mohanan Pillai, maintaining that he was Rajan, son of Kesavan, from Kallara in Kottayam district. To verify his claim, investigators then questioned him in the presence of Kallara police and cross-checked details about his family, including his grandfather.

The breakthrough in the four-decade-old case came after the newly appointed Rural District Police Chief directed officers to reopen pending cases. Around the same time, police received information that a man suspected to be Mohanan Pillai had been admitted to Kottayam Medical College Hospital. However, investigators were initially unable to confirm whether he was indeed the long absconding accused.

Police also received a confidential tip that a man living in the Kallara area frequently returned home drunk, used to pick fights with his family and often boasted that criminal cases were `nothing new' to him. Acting on the lead, officers kept him under surveillance for several days, closely monitoring his movements and verifying his background.

Even after taking him into custody, investigators were unable to immediately establish that he was Mohanan Pillai, as his appearance had changed significantly over the past 39 years. It was only after prolonged interrogation that the accused confessed to the crime.

 A search of his house in Kallara, however, yielded no documents linking him to his former residence in Veliyam. Police said he had obtained official documents, including his Aadhaar card, using his Kallara address. However, a photograph taken in 1998 and recovered during the search proved to be the crucial piece of evidence that confirmed his identity.

Four decades on the run
The murder dates back to January 11, 1987, when 35-year-old Chandrasekharan Pillai was hacked to death at his house in Veliyam. According to the prosecution, his 25-year-old brother-in-law, Mohanan Pillai, attacked him with a machete after the victim had created a ruckus at the house around 6 pm. Mohanan Pillai fled immediately after committing the murder and remained on the run for nearly four decades.

Police said Mohanan Pillai first escaped to Velankanni in Tamil Nadu, where he befriended people from Kallara in Kottayam district. He later moved to Kallara, found work as a plantation labourer and built a new life under the alias Rajan. He married a local woman and settled there. The couple have two children, now aged 37 and 35.