Forensic report hints that the death of Jayamadhavan Nair in 2017 could have been homicide. Jayamadhavan was the seventh member of the Koodathil family to have died over 15 years. The 63-year-old died in April 2017, after reportedly falling from his bed. His caretaker, Raveendran Nair, claimed that he and the cook, Leela, took Jayamadhavan to the hospital in an autorickshaw, where he died.
Both the post mortem report and the report on the examination of internal organs claim that the cause of death is an injury to the head. Jayamadhavan is the final heir of the Koodathil family. A police probe was launched when his relatives raised suspicion surrounding his death. The family suspect Jayamadhavan’s will is fabricated, since according to it, Raveendran inherits Jayamadhavan’s properties following the latter’s death. This led the police to suspect the possibility of Raveendran muderding Jayamadhavan after securing ownership of the properties through forgery. It also led to suspicion falling on a few other family members.
Seven deaths have occurred over 26 years — between 1991 and 2017 — at the Koodathil house at Karamana, Thiruvananthapuram. The deceased are Gopinathan Nair, his wife Sumukhiamma; the couple’s three children Jayasree, Jayabalakrishnan and Jayaprakash and their kin Unnikrishnan Nair and Jayamadhavan Nair. The police suspect the caretaker and a few others of having aimed to claim the property.
When questioned, the police found several contradictions in Raveendran’s statement. Besides, an autorickshaw driver Sumesh, who initially claimed that his vehicle was hired to transport Raveendran, Jayamadhavan and Leela, purportedly revealed he was coerced by Raveendran into giving a false statement. Sources said that findings of the forensic examination have now strengthened the possibility of murder. This has led the investigation team to seek permission to alter the charge from unnatural death to murder in the case.
Meanwhile, many are pointing out similarities between the Koodathil case to that of the Koodathai cyanide murders, wherein six members of a family at Koodathai in Kozhikode died under similar circumstances during 14 years. The members were poisoned using cyanide.
