Kadinamkulam murder: 'Instagram friend with 12,000 followers threatened victim using her photos'

Thiruvananthapuram: In the Kadinamkulam murder case that shocked an entire locality, the police have issued a lookout notice against the suspect, Johnson, a resident of Dalavapuram in Kollam. Investigators believe Johnson fled the area by train after committing the crime. Four special police teams have been deployed to trace and apprehend him.

Left the lodging house armed with a knife

On January 21, Tuesday, Aathira (30), a resident of Venjaramoodu, was found dead in her Kadinamkulam home with stab wounds to her neck. Her husband Rajeev found her lifeless body on the bed at 11.30 am when he returned home after attending a temple pooja at 5.30 am. Upon his arrival, he noticed Aathira’s scooter was also missing from the house. Police suspect the killer used the scooter to flee the scene. During their investigation, the scooter was found abandoned near the ticket counter of Chirayinkeezhu railway station.

The police initially centred their investigation around Aathira’s close acquaintance. The recovery of the scooter led them to suspect that Johnson fled the area by train. Investigators are also probing whether the scooter’s abandonment was an intentional move to mislead the police. The police have located the rented house in Perumathura where Johnson was staying. Crucially, CCTV footage revealed that on the day of the crime, Johnson left the lodging house carrying a knife. He had reportedly hired the room just a few days earlier, claiming to the lodge owner that he worked at the harbour. Police suspect he hired the room with the intent of planning the murder.

A premeditated murder?

The police teams investigating the case include units led by the Thiruvananthapuram Rural SP, Attingal DySP, DANSAF unit and Kadinamkulam-Chirayinkeezhu police. The murder is believed to have occurred between 8.30 am and 11.30 am. Neighbours reported that Aathira was at home when her six-year-old son left for school at 8.30 am.

Johnson reportedly visited Aathira at her home on the morning of the incident, where she offered him tea. Police suspect he then drugged her before murdering her. Aathira’s deep neck wound is said to be the cause of death, with no other injuries found on her body. Police believe the use of a knife brought from outside indicates that the crime was premeditated. The knife used in the murder was recovered from near the body.

Instagram friend with 12,000 followers

Johnson, the prime suspect, is a person with around 12,000 followers on Instagram. He had reportedly been in close contact with Aathira for over a year, having initially bonded through exchanging Instagram reels. Sources reveal that Johnson had visited Aathira multiple times and that there were financial dealings between them. It is alleged that Johnson blackmailed Aathira with her photos to extort money. He had also reportedly pressured her to leave her husband and son to live with him, a demand Aathira had refused, leading to his planning of the murder, according to the police.

Murder threat allegedly revealed before the crime

Aathira had reportedly confided to her husband Rajeev the day before the murder that a person she met on social media had threatened to kill her. However, she refused to inform the police, warning her husband that she would take her own life if anyone else learned about it. Consequently, Rajeev did not disclose this information to anyone. Tensions had reportedly arisen between Aathira and Rajeev over her relationship with Johnson.

Following her death, Rajeev revealed these details to both the police and friends. He also told the police that he had previously objected to Aathira’s excessive use of social media on multiple occasions. Despite the proximity of other houses, neighbours reported hearing no noise or cries from Aathira during the incident. It is believed that Johnson entered the house by scaling the compound wall.

Aathira was the daughter of Kuttappan and Ambili from Aliyadu, while her husband Rajeev, a native of Kayamkulam, has served as a priest at the Bhadrakali Temple in Bharanikkavu for 24 years. The couple, married for eight years, lived near the Bharanikkavu temple.

Husband to be questioned again

The investigation team has announced plans to question Rajeev again, citing discrepancies in his statements. After a post-mortem at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, Aathira’s body was cremated at her family home in Venjaramoodu.