In what appears to be a leaf out of a finely scripted thriller, the police here have stumbled upon an eight-year-old murder, turning a man-missing case into a spine-chilling cliffhanger.
It all started when Nicy Mathew, daughter of K.V. Mathew of Kalayil House, Thalayolaparambu, got a call from one Vasu. Mathew had been missing since October 25, 2008. The caller said her father was not absconding, but was killed by Aneesh, his son.
“I do not know why he made the call,” Ms. Mathew told The Hindu . Both the father and son were known to her family. “We had good relations with them. I don’t know what made him do this heinous act,” she said. According to her, the telephone call came as a shock as she and her family were confident that their father would return one day.
On November 25, Mathew had brought his children from school and went out never to return. His car was found at the junction near their residence. A man-missing case was filed with the Vaikom police. Ever since, his wife and three children have been facing much hardship as Mathew was running a finance company and had heavy debt.
According to Ms. Mathew, she had got Vasu’s testimony recorded. On December 4, she formally lodged a complaint with the Thalayolaparambu police. Meanwhile, Aneesh was already in police custody in a counterfeit note case. The Thalayolaparambu police took him in custody and during interrogation, he is said to have admitted to the crime.
Financial dealings
According to sources, Aneesh had admitted that Mathew had financial dealings with him and difference of opinion regarding them had led to the murder. The victim was invited to the building where Aneesh was running a small business. Mathew was killed and buried inside the building, according to sources.
At present, a multi-storeyed building stands where the old structure once stood and on Wednesday, the police started digging the spot inside the building for Mathew’s mortal remains. They had not been successful till evening and later in the day, the police brought an excavator to do the digging.
According to the sources, Aneesh, after killing Mathew, had run away to Goa and from there to Gujarat where he was arrested for dealing in counterfeit currency notes. The police are tight-lipped as they have not been able to find any evidence. They are also looking into the possibility of more people being involved in the case.
