Two Malayali women killed in California, friend from Kottayam arrested

Two Malayali women living in the same apartment complex in Milpitas, California, were allegedly murdered by their friend on August 28. The deceased have been identified as Anjana Hari, 35, daughter of Haridas Thekkoot and Sushama of Mudikkode in Mannuthy, Thrissur, and Ann Mary Mathew, 40, daughter of Jiji Mathew and late Bessy G Mathew of Mattath House, Kakkanad Lane 22, Kesavadasapuram, Thiruvananthapuram.

Milpitas police confirmed the arrest of their friend Anila, 32, a native of Moonnilavu in Kottayam, who also lived in the same apartment complex in connection with the case.

The motive for the killings remains unknown. The Milpitas Police Department said officers responded to 440 Dixon Landing Road at 12.01 pm on Friday following reports of a hit-and-run collision in the parking lot of Mill Creek Apartments.

Witnesses reported seeing a blue SUV leave the area immediately after the incident. Officers found a woman with significant injuries at the scene, and she was pronounced dead, police said.

Officers then searched the surrounding area and found a blue SUV matching the description in a nearby parking lot. The vehicle had significant damage consistent with a collision. The driver, a 32-year-old Milpitas resident, was arrested in connection with the incident.

Ann's body was later found inside the apartment with stab wounds. Her husband, Jacob of Pallathra House in Chingavanam, Kottayam, went to the apartment after learning that Anjana had been killed and found Ann lying dead inside.

The three women lived with their families at Mill Creek Apartments on Dixon Landing Road. Relatives said they were close friends. They had attended an Onam celebration together the previous day and had also gone to a theatre to watch a film.

Anjana was a school teacher and lived with her husband, Vijesh, a software engineer, and their six-year-old daughter, Vamika. The family moved to California in 2021. Anjana last visited her home in Mannuthy in 2023.

Ann Mary had returned to the US after visiting Kerala in the last week of June for her father's 70th birthday celebrations. She worked as a computer teacher at a school in the US. She is survived by her children, Antreesa, 12, and Aleesa, 5.

Her father, Jiji, said it could take more than two weeks to complete the procedures and bring her body home. He said the family did not yet know much about the circumstances surrounding the attack. Jiji is a former Syndicate Bank official.

Anjana's relatives were reportedly told that Ann may have been killed first, after which Anjana was called outside and allegedly run over by a car. Her relatives said efforts have begun to bring Anjana's body back to Kerala.