Woman forgives husband’s killer 34 years later

Thiruvananthapuram: A woman in Kerala came face to face with one of the persons who colluded in her husband’s killing 34 years ago and forgave him, bringing tears to the man’s eyes and also bringing back memories of a murder that continues to remain a mystery for Keralites.

The unresolved part of the murder case is that the main accused, Sukumara Kurup, continues to be absconding — or is perhaps no more — leaving what should have been final closure in the case hanging.

Kurup is accused of plotting the murder of a young medical representative, Chacko, and carrying it out to claim insurance benefits.

His strategy was to murder someone who was his lookalike, burn the body and then get his family members to claim insurance benefits.

Kurup had taken an insurance policy that would give his family a payout of Rs800,000 (Dh42,861) in the event that he lost his life.

That deadly strategy was carried out on the night of January 21, 1984, a date that is unforgettable for tens of thousands of Keralites and for state police because Kurup has not been seen since then.

Kurup, who was working in the Middle East at the time, plotted with his brother-in-law Bhaskara Pillai — husband of his wife’s sister — and a few others, including his driver Ponnappan. Initially they planned to get hold of a corpse, but then decided to murder someone who looked like Kurup.

While driving around on the fateful day, Chacko sought a lift in their car, virtually sealing his own fate.

The prosecution argued that the gang killed Chacko in the car, before taking the body to Kurup’s house where they disfigure the face by burning it.

They then dressed up the corpse in Kurup’s clothes and returned it to the car, which they then abandoned by the roadside near Chengannur.

Police suspected foul-play right from the beginning when they found a pair of gloves, a matchstick and petrol near the corpse.

Further investigations led them to crack the case, though they could not get hold of Kurup who has been missing ever since.

On Saturday, Chacko’s widow Shanthamma met up with Pillai who has completed his prison sentence, took his hands in hers and said she had forgiven not only him but all who had conspired to kill her loving husband.

The meeting was masterminded by two of Shanthamma’s brothers and a priest. When Pillai sought her forgiveness, Shanthamma told him that she abided by the Bible verse that says “love those who persecute you”.

Another of those who served time for his part in the case, Ponnappan, later committed suicide.

Nearly three-and-a-half decades later, state police and Keralites continue to hope that Kurup will be brought to book.