Another mystery seems to follow close on the heels of the Kallambalam mystery case as the body of Athira’s mother-in-law Shyamala was found dead this morning. Syamala’s body was found hanging on a tree near her house at Kallambalam in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.
Athira (24), daughter of Shaji and Shreena of Vennicode, Varkala, had married Sarath, a native of Kallambalam, a month and a half ago. She was found dead in the bathroom on January 15 with injuries on her neck and wrists. At the time of death, Sarath and his father had gone to a hospital in Kollam. His mother was said to be not at home at the time. Athira’s mother who had dropped by on a visit found the house empty and decided to wait for Sarath to return. Sarath who discovered the bathroom locked from inside broke the door and found Athira lying in a pool of blood.
Although the police say it is a case of suicide, the families of Athira and Sarath had alleged that she could have been murdered. While, Athira’s mother said that her daughter would not have committed suicide as she was afraid of blood, her father claimed that her mother-in-law had harassed her. Athira’s father-in-law too voiced suspicion regarding the circumstances in which she was found dead.
According to the doctors who conducted the post mortem, the wounds on the neck and wrists were caused by a knife. The police recovered the knife from the bathroom. A dog squad and fingerprint experts visited the scene of death.
Meanwhile, with Shyamala’s supposed suicide, it looks like the Kerala police will be working overtime as they try to figure out the reasons behind the claimed double suicide.
