Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala police on Monday recovered body parts of an NRI who is believed to have been murdered by his son last week.
Joy V. John (68), a US-based NRI hailing from Chengannur in Kottayam district, is believed to have been murdered by his youngest son, Sherin John, after the two drove down to Thiruvananthapuram last Wednesday, apparently for repairs to their car.
On Thursday morning, Sherin John called his mother, Mariamma, and told her he had made a “mistake” and then switched off his phone. Police then located him at a lodge in Kottayam and took him into custody.
Sherin initially gave contradicting statements, confusing the police in their search for his father’s body, but on Monday police were able to find the dismembered body parts from different locations following Sherin’s confession.
Sherin reportedly told the police that he shot his father four times and then tried to burn the body. Since he could not completely burn it, he dismembered it and left the parts in different parts in sacks.
The body parts were found from places as far as Changanacherry and Chingavanam near Kottayam. Some parts are yet to be traced.
On Sunday, a local boatman had come across a limb in the Pamba river and alerted the police. The limb was found to be partially burned.
An argument between the father and the son is believed to have resulted in the death of John. The family had a few links to people in the locality and John and his wife alternated between living in the US and in Chengannur.
The couple have two other children based in the US, while the youngest has been residing in Kerala for the past few years.
