Nearly a month after the murders of Anjana Hari (35) and Ann Mary Mathew (40) in California, their bodies were brought home to Kerala on Monday as grieving families, relatives and neighbours gathered to bid them a final farewell. Milpitas police have arrested Anila Baby, a friend of the two women from Kottayam, in connection with the crime on August 28.

For Anjana’s family, however, the farewell came with questions that remain unanswered. As relatives gathered at her home in Pananjeri, many said they were still struggling to understand what exactly happened between the three women, who were close friends in the US. "All three girls involved in the incident were very close friends. They met in the US and lived close to each other," said Joby K J, a family friend and Anjana’s former tuition teacher.

Anjana’s body was kept for public viewing at her husband Vijesh’s house in Mudikode from around 12.30 pm before being taken to her family home in Pananjeri, where people gathered to pay their respects until 5.30 pm. She was later cremated on the premises of her family home.

Joby, who had taught Anjana and her sister Aditya Haridas, remembered her as a bright and hardworking student. "Anjana was a bright young girl. She used to score 95% in her exams, and all her achievements were through hard work," he said. Anjana had been working as a teacher at a tuition centre in the US. She, her husband Vijesh and their daughter had been settling into their new life there when the incident occurred.

"The entire family is torn apart by this incident. Her father, Haridas, who is retired and runs a Milma Shoppe in Chembuthara, her mother, and her sister, who recently completed her BSc at Vimala College, are completely shattered and yet to fully comprehend what has transpired. Her husband and child are devastated by the loss," he said. The police investigation is underway, he added.

Meanwhile, Ann Mary’s final rites are expected to be held on Tuesday at St Ignatius Church in Chingavanam, Kottayam, her husband’s family parish.

According to the Milpitas Police, Anila ran over Anjana with an SUV after allegedly murdering Ann Mary at her residence on the 700 block of Linda Vista Street in San Jose. The circumstances and motive behind the killings remain under investigation.