Jolly murders: Kerala woman serial killer poisoned six family members; in custody

Jolly, who killed six family members at regular intervals spanning over 14 years, could also be suffering from a split personality, where she led two different roles in life — that of a housewife and a cold-blooded serial killer — feels Director General of Police (DGP), Kerala, Lok Nath Behera.

In fact, the overall jovial personality of 47-year-old Jolly Thomas has baffled the investigators, who are interrogating one of the most intriguing criminal minds accused of wiping out an entire family.

While primary forensic evidence suggests that Jolly poisoned six family members to death by serving them food laced with cyanide, her friends and close relatives feel that she is ‘innocent’ and is being framed in the case.

The police have finally decided to conduct in-depth psychoanalysis of Jolly to ascertain whether she had any traits of being a psychopath.

The cyanide serial killings seem to be the rarest of crimes to be reported in India in recent times. No wonder, the modus operandi of the killings have stunned state police chief Behera, who has investigated several high-profile cases as Joint Director, Special Crimes, in Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

“Let me admit, this case is too complicated as it involves a homely lady who apparently looks very normal in her behaviour, but evidence gathered by us indicates that she is a serial killer. I have now asked the officials to engage the best psychologists to carry out an in-depth study of her mental behaviour,” the IPS officer of Kerala cadre said.

On potassium cyanide being used by Jolly as a lethal weapon, Behera said that prima-facie the forensic examination of the mortal remains of the victims, which have been exhumed from their graves, suggest that poisoning caused all the deaths.

“But we have to probe threadbare into the cause of deaths. To ascertain that cyanide was used to kill the victims, I intend to dispatch the samples to the best forensic labs. If we do not get any specific leads from the Indian labs, the government would send the samples to England, which is considered to have the most advanced forensic toxicology labs, to find out traces of cyanide if the chemical was used in the killings,” said Behera, who is supervising the case that has sent shock waves across the southern state.

Meanwhile, Jolly’s son Romo Roy (21) said that though it was difficult to believe that her mother could execute the killings of his father, grandfather, grandmother and other family members, if the evidence gathered against her suggests that she is an accused, then the law should take its own course.

Romo’s statement on her mother’s involvement could shed more light on the mystery killings which have been buried in police files for years.

So far the probe suggests that Jolly served food laced with cyanide to the victims. The first reported killing was executed in 2002 by Jolly wherein the victim was identified as her mother-in-law, Anamma Thomas.

Six years later in 2008, Jolly allegedly killed her father-in-law Tom Thomas. In 2011, it was the turn of Jolly’s then-husband Roy Thomas.

The killing spree continued at regular intervals in the residence of the Thomas family. The next victim in the queue was Roy Thomas’ maternal uncle Mathew who died under similar circumstances in 2014.

Two years later, another close relative Sily, the wife of Shaju (Jolly’s paramour), and her one-year-old child died under similar circumstance.

The police are now investigating the role of the Jolly’s second husband Shaju, cousin of her first husband Roy Thomas, in the serial killings committed allegedly by Jolly and her two aides.

Sources said that several witnesses, including the neighbours of the Thomas family, are being questioned by the police to gather evidence in the case.
Meanwhile, the Kerala Crime Branch questioned in detail the second husband of prime suspect Jolly Thomas – Shaju. After questioning, the police said he will be let off.

Jolly and her two accomplices, who helped her in supplying cyanide, which she gave to each of her victims was earlier arrested for plotting the murder of her husband Roy Thomas.

Shaju, a teacher by profession was questioned on four previous occasions and on Sunday evening he was seen on TV channels stating that he had no role in what happened.

But, the police probe team had asked him to come to the Crime Branch office at Payoli, near here and he promptly came, in the morning.

After 90 minutes of questioning, the police took him to the Vadakara office of Superintend of Police, K. G. Simon and after another round of questioning, Simon told the media that Shaju will be let off.

“Our probe is going on in the right direction and if required we will ask Shaju to come back again. We are in the process of verifying all aspects as many more will be also questioned. The State Police chief called me and said that if required, chemical examination in the probe can be given to foreign countries,” said Simon.

In between Shaju’s father Zachariah, a retired teacher who had told the media earlier that his son was trapped into marriage by Jolly and her elder son, was asked to present himself before the probe team.

In a related development, Jolly’s friend and beauty parlour owner Sulekha denied that Jolly was her partner in business.

“I know Jolly for over a decade and she introduced herself as a lecturer at the National Institute of Technology and she was a regular client at my parlour. When her husband Roy Thomas passed away, my husband and I went to her home. She said her husband passed away due to a cardiac arrest,” said Sulekha.

Meanwhile on Monday, 22-year old Rohit, said that he has given a complaint to the police after hearing the way the deaths occurred in the family serial murder, was similar to the way his father passed away.

“Why I decided to give the complaint was my father (Ramakrishnan, a local Congress worker) also died in the same manner as the six deaths that took place in the family of Jolly. My father passed away in 2016. He came from outside and had food and soon collapsed and died. In 2008, my father had sold a property for Rs 55 lakh, but we do not know where it has gone. We do not know Jolly, but we know Sulekha and her husband, who was my father’s friend. We want to know what happened to the money,” said Rohit.

A former Sub-Inspector of Police Raman Unny, who had probed the death of Roy Thomas told the media that there was no complaint given by anyone, even after it came to light that the death occurred due to cyanide consumption.

“Neither his wife (Jolly), his family members, friends or anyone came up with any complaint then and hence there was not at all an iota of suspicion that it was a murder, but all thought it was a suicide as the person was in deep financial crisis. I will definitely appear before the present probe team if I am asked to, as it’s my duty as a former police official,” said Unny.

Raji Thomas, sister of Roy Thomas, told the media that she knew that Jolly and Shaju were in a relationship and were planning to get married.

“What was shocking was their relation blossomed weeks after my brother passed away and hence when they got married soon, it was not a surprise to me,” said Raji Thomas.

Meanwhile, the police probe team on Monday took statements from a retired revenue officer who had helped Jolly to register property, which the police has found out was done using fake and forged documents.

Also, on the radar of the probe team are few others which include local-level political leaders, with whom Jolly had regular contacts.

All these mysterious deaths took place in the family of retired government official Tom Thomas.

The police began the probe into these deaths after Roy Thomas’ brother Rojo, settled in the US, approached the Superintendent of Police and expressed suspicion over the mysterious deaths.

Once convinced with Rojo’s revelations, the police exhumed the mortal remains of the deceased persons from graves and sent them for forensic examination. The initial reports indicated poisoning. (IANS)