In another sensational twist to the Kerala serial killings, main accused Jolly Shaju allegedly planned to commit more murders. Jolly Shaju, already accused of killing six members of her family, allegedly planned to kill two more people -- this time children.
KG Simon, Kozikhode rural SP, who is heading the SIT in the case, revealed that Jolly had plans to kill two children in the family just like she had before -- by feeding them food laced with cyanide.
Talking to media, Simon said, "There was an attempt to kill two more kids in a similar fashion." The Kerala Police also received inputs about some suspicious incidents that occurred in the family and is now probing if Jolly Shaju was involved.
Without giving away details, Simon said, "We have got inputs about some incidents in the family. Though there haven't been any deaths, the family has doubts."
Simon revealed that the children also showed symptoms similar to those poisoned -- seizures and apnea (breathing problems) but they managed to survive.
At the moment the police are withholding the identity of the probable victims but have confirmed that they were close to the Thomas family.
Police expand probe
As more information about the horrific killings tumbles out, the state police have decided to expand the scope of the special investigation team (SIT) probing the serial killings.
The team needs more hands as fresh details were coming out each day with the questioning of more people.
Police have said that experts will be now be inducted into the investigation team and that it will seek the help of the best labs in the country to conduct 'trace analysis' on the exhumed bodies.
The SIT is also exploring the possibility of approaching foreign labs if the need arises. CPIM member expelled. Meanwhile, the CPI(M) Kozhikode unit has expelled K Manoj, a local committee member who was questioned in connection with the case.
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An official press release from the party stated that Manoj has been removed for bringing "disrepute" to the party. He reportedly had certain financial dealings with Jolly.
The case
Eight years after the death of her husband Roy Thomas following consumption of cyanide-laced food, 47-year-old Jolly and two others were arrested on October 5 and investigation started into the deaths of five others of the family.
The two other accused-- MS Mathew (44), is a close friend of Jolly and Prajikumar, (48) had allegedly supplied cyanide to Mathew who handed it over to Jolly. Jolly was arrested only in the case relating to the death of her husband in 2011 due to the presence of cyanide mentioned in his post-mortem report.
The SIT is probing the case after receiving a complaint from Roy's US-based brother, Rojo, over the six deaths between 2002-20.
While Annamma Thomas had died in 2002, her husband Tom Thomas passed away six years later in 2008.
Later, their son Roy Thomas died in 2011. Annamma's brother Mathew died in 2014 and two relatives -Sili and her one-year-old daughter- in 2016.
Jolly later married their relative Shaju, who was the husband of Sili and father of the one-year-old daughter who had died in 2016.
As police found that the deaths to be suspicious, the remains of the six deceased was exhumed on October 4.
On October 7, police had questioned Shaju for a whole day and his statement recorded and later let off.