Kerala serial murder case: Jolly Shaju admits to have poisoned her family, says police

Agencies
October 8, 2019

Kozhikode, Oct 8: Jolly Shaju, who was arrested for allegedly poisoning to death six members of her family, over a period of 14 years in Kerala's Koodathayi village in Kozhikode district, has admitted that she killed them all, the police said on Tuesday.

The six deaths in the family took place between 2002 and 2016. While the first death, which is now being suspected to be a murder, was of Jolly's mother-in-law, the most recent to die in the family was a relative and mother of a two-year-old.

The Investigating Officer (IO) handling the serial murder case, told the media persons that Jolly allegedly killed them in order to take away the property.

He said that pursuant to the thorough analysis and consultation with the doctors, it was found that they all died because of cyanide poisoning.

The police had on Monday arrested Jolly along with a jewellery shop employee MS Mathew and one Prajikumar in connection with the deaths.

Prajikumar is accused of supplying cyanide to Jolly to carry out murders in Kudathai village of the district. Mathew and Prajikumar both were known to Jolly for a long time, the police said.

The police said that her mother-in-law, Annamma Thomas, was killed because "she was the most important person in that family".

"She looked after everything in the family. It was a move to gain control over the complete financial transactions within the family," the IO said.

In 2008, Tom Thomas, her father in law, was killed. "More reasons lead to his death. He was killed to gain possession of his property," he said, adding that once the duo had an "ugly fight".

In 2011, her husband breathed his last. The officer revealed that their relationship was in a very "bad state during the last days, which ultimately led to his death."

Three years later, Annamma's brother, who, the police claims had sought post-mortem to be conducted on the body of Jolly's husband, died. "I do not want to reveal how he was killed, we are still waiting for some more information," the police officer said.

The same year, a toddler, Alphine Shaju, was allegedly killed by Jolly. "She had told many people that she would have loved to have someone like Shaju (Alphine's husband) as her husband. In the case, it was told that the child died after she chocked some food while eating," he said, adding that the toddler died due to cyanide poisoning.

The last one to have been killed by the accused was Alphine's mother in 2016.

"According to Jolly, she gave her some water to drink and we could also find out that she died after drinking the water. The poison was mixed in that water. After all these deaths, she married him (Shaju)," the police divulged.

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News Network
May 13,2025

A new chapter is unfolding for football in Mangaluru as the football ground adjacent to Nehru Maidan receives a modern artificial turf, with completion expected by the end of May. This long-awaited upgrade promises to significantly enhance the playing experience for both budding and seasoned footballers in the region.

The project, spearheaded by Mangaluru Smart City Limited (MSCL), involves laying synthetic turf across the 90,000 sq ft ground at a cost of ₹2.5 crore. Equipped with efficient drainage systems, the revamped ground will support uninterrupted play throughout the year, regardless of weather conditions.

“This is a long-pending demand of the football community here,” said D.M. Aslam of the Dakshina Kannada District Football Association. “We expect the turf work to be completed in the next two weeks. Currently, around 150 children practice regularly at the ground, and we anticipate that number to rise once the new surface is open.”

MSCL General Manager (Technical), Arun Prabha K.S., noted that while the project had been planned for some time, groundwork officially began after last year’s monsoon league concluded in August. “Once completed, this facility will be a full-fledged synthetic turf suitable for training, local tournaments, and league matches,” he said.

With the inauguration expected soon after the final touches are completed, the new astro turf is set to elevate the city’s football infrastructure and serve as a springboard for talent development across the district.

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News Network
May 15,2025

Udupi, May 15: A routine surgery turned tragic at a private hospital in Udupi’s Karkala on Wednesday evening when a 54-year-old woman died during a procedure to remove a suspected abdominal lump. 

The incident triggered immediate outrage from the deceased’s family, leading to a protest outside the hospital premises.

The deceased has been identified as Zubaida, a resident of Sanur, who had been living in a rented house near the hospital. She was admitted after complaining of severe abdominal pain, and doctors advised surgical intervention to remove a lump believed to be the cause of her discomfort.

However, Zubaida reportedly passed away mid-surgery, sparking anger and grief among her relatives and local residents. A crowd soon gathered outside the hospital, demanding an explanation from the medical staff and questioning the circumstances surrounding her death.

As tensions rose, police personnel from the Karkala Town Station were called in to pacify the situation and prevent further escalation. Authorities managed to restore calm and are reportedly investigating the incident.

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News Network
May 8,2025

New Delhi: The government is briefing an all-party meeting on Thursday on the success of "Operation Sindoor" and its aftermath, as top government functionaries and opposition leaders met for a second time in a fortnight amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.

Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, S Jaishankar, J P Nadda and Nirmala Sitharaman represented the government, while Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge from the Congress, Sandip Bandyopadhyay of the Trinamool Congress and DMK's T R Baalu were among the leading opposition figures in the meeting.

Other opposition leaders included Ram Gopal Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, Sanjay Singh of the AAP, Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Sanjay Raut, NCP (SP)'s Supriya Sule, BJD's Sasmit Patra and CPI(M)'s John Brittas.

JD(U) leader Sanjay Jha, Union minister and LJP (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan and AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi were also part of the meeting.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government wanted to brief all parties on "Operation Sindoor".

In retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack, Indian armed forces carried out missile strikes early Wednesday on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, including the Jaish-e-Mohammad stronghold of Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba's base Muridke.

The military strikes were carried out under 'Operation Sindoor' two weeks after the massacre of 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.

The government had earlier called an all-party meeting on April 24 to brief leaders on the attack.

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