Crimes Untold, EP02: The hunt for 'Lady Sukumara Kurup'

A few years ago, the Indian High Commission in Malaysia issued a notice and a photo in a newspaper of an unidentified Indian woman who was found dead in the country. The image immediately drew attention, sparking speculation about whether it could be Dr Omana Edadan, a woman from Kannur who was prime accused in one of Kerala's most sensational and brutal murder cases. 

So how did this ophthalmologist from Kerala find herself on Interpol’s most-wanted list?

To answer that question, one needs to go back to 1996, specifically to July 11, when Omana traveled with her estranged lover, P Muraleedharan, a contractor, to Ooty.

At the time, she was 43 years old. Her tryst with the law began at the Ooty railway station where she allegedly poisoned Muraleedharan. Later, in a railway retiring room, he was administered a fatal injection of blood-clotting medicine that killed him. Omana dismembered Muraleedharan's body, packing some pieces into a suitcase. After cleaning the room, she hired a taxi with the intent of disposing of the remains in the forests near Kodaikanal. However, her plans were disrupted during the taxi journey, leading to her arrest.

However, it was only the beginning of the never-ending nightmare for the police forces in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, which continues to this day.

A tale of an unhappy marriage

To understand what happened on a fateful day in 1996, one needs to go back to the day Muraleedharan came into the life of Omana and her husband, Dr Radhakrishnan, a dedicated pediatrician, and two children.

According to reports, Omana had been dealing with personal struggles and family conflicts prior to meeting Muraleedharan. What began as a professional collaboration to build a house for Omana soon evolved into something more intimate. 

Yet, as their bond deepened, so did the strain on Omana's marriage.

Omana had reportedly told the police that Muraleedharan had persistently harassed her, even proposing marriage, which she refused. Enraged by her rejection, Muraleedharan allegedly spread false lies about her, leading to her eventual separation from her husband.

To avoid everything, she relocated to Malaysia and established her practice under a false identity. However, trouble began when she invited Muraleedharan to join her in Malaysia. The relationship soured over time, leading Muraleedharan to return to Kerala. 

Despite this, he persistently demanded money and even threatened to expose her false identity to Malaysian authorities if she failed to comply. Faced with this continued harassment, Omana allegedly took the fateful decision to end Muraleedharan's life.

The Brutal Murder

Omana returned to Kerala a week before the murder. After landing in Thiruvananthapuram, she left for Coimbatore using a fake name and address. Upon reaching Ooty, she kept her luggage in a railway retiring room and left for Kozhikode. From a roadside telephone booth there, she called Muraleedharan and urged him to accompany her to Ooty.

It was during the night that followed at the railway retiring room that she executed her plan. Under the guise of administering a mood enhancer, she injected a dose of sodium pentothal, an ultra-potent anesthesia capable of causing death in high doses. Within minutes, Muralidharan succumbed to the lethal injection.

She used her surgical skills to dismember the body into small pieces and dispose of some parts by flushing them in the toilet before collecting the rest in polythene covers and stuffing them in her suitcases. After cleaning the room, she hired a taxi with the intent of disposing of the remains in the forests near Kodaikanal. 

Omana single-handedly carried the bags from the retiring room to the car. The suitcase and bags were then placed in the car's trunk. The cold weather in Ooty prevented the body from decomposing, so there was no foul smell in the retiring room. 

Her initial efforts to discard the suitcases in a ravine were unsuccessful. However, when a suspicious taxi driver halted the car to question the odor emanating from the suitcase, Omana boarded a bus and fled. She was arrested the next day after the taxi driver informed the police about her. 

Arrest and escape!

Kodaikanal Police arrested Omana near Dindigul in Tamil Nadu. The case was initially investigated by the Ooty Police and later handed over to the Crime Branch. In February 2002, the Crime Branch Investigation Division filed a charge sheet with the Ooty Magistrate Court. 

Meanwhile, Omana, who was released on conditional bail from the Tamil Nadu Central Jail, went absconding on January 29, 2001, and was suspected to have fled the country. Although the Tamil Nadu police attempted to track her down, Omana had effectively vanished. 

Interpol and local law enforcement police strongly suspected that she had escaped to Malaysia. In the following years, numerous sightings of her were reported across different countries and locations. 

Despite Interpol issuing a lookout notice, she managed to evade capture and remained in hiding. Her ultimate fate remains uncertain. However, she has become known as perhaps the most notorious fugitive since Sukumara Kurup, hence 'Lady Sukumara Kurup' to many.

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