Venjaramoodu, a town where life usually follows a familiar rhythm, was jolted into chaos on the evening of February 24th. The streets that once echoed with the hum of routine were now heavy with silence, broken only by murmurs of disbelief. It was here, in this seemingly ordinary town of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, that 23-year-old Affan carved his name into infamy with a blood-soaked rampage that left five people dead and one clinging to life.

Affan didn’t lash out in the heat of the moment—this was premeditated, a carefully orchestrated spree of violence executed across three locations. Armed with a machete and a hammer, he moved methodically, striking down his girlfriend, younger brother, grandmother, uncle, and aunt. His mother, who became his final target, barely survived the savage assault. And when the blood settled, Affan, perhaps seeking an escape from the inevitable, reportedly consumed rat poison before surrendering himself to the authorities. He was rushed to Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, but by then, the damage was irreversible—not to himself, but to the lives he had obliterated.

The Man No One Really Knew

Affan wasn’t a name that came up in local chatter. The town had its share of familiar faces—the old man who sold newspapers, the woman who ran the vegetable cart—but Affan didn’t fit into those stories. He was more of a shadow, someone you might spot slipping into the mosque with his younger brother or walking home late at night, eyes cast downward, lost in thoughts no one else could hear. Venjaramoodu wasn’t used to mysteries like that; it was a place where everyone’s business usually spilled out in the open.

Neighbors struggled to recall a meaningful conversation with him. He had spent his early years at Janatha Higher Secondary School in Thempammood, but after completing his Plus Two studies, he enrolled in college, only to drop out. His father, Rahim, had built their home near Perumala Junction on the Venjaramoodu-Nedumangad road a decade ago, but the man himself was a ghost in his own household, running a struggling spare parts business in the Gulf. Financial troubles had kept him away for five years, leaving his family to navigate life in his absence.

Affan, too, had traveled abroad a few times—sometimes alone, sometimes with family—but he never seemed to belong anywhere, neither in the world outside nor in his own home. Perhaps that was part of the problem.

34 Kilometers of Carnage

What Affan carried out that evening wasn’t just a crime—it was a journey drenched in blood. Over the span of two hours, he traveled 34 kilometers, ensuring that no one he had set his sights on would be left breathing. This wasn’t a case of momentary rage but something more sinister, more cold-blooded.

The Lives He Took

The weight of his actions will forever be felt by the families of:

• Afsan – his younger brother, someone who likely grew up in the same rooms, shared the same meals, and yet became just another name on his list.
• Latheef – his paternal uncle, a man who might have once carried him on his shoulders as a child but was now struck down without hesitation.
• Shahida – Latheef’s wife, whose only crime was being part of the family.
• Salma Beevi – his 95-year-old grandmother, a woman who had lived through decades of life only to meet such a brutal end at the hands of her own grandson.
• Farsana – his girlfriend, the woman he claimed to love but still chose to silence forever.

And then there was Shemi, his mother, left fighting for survival in a private hospital, a living testament to his unrelenting fury.

The town of Venjaramoodu will never be the same. The mosque he once walked into with his brother, the streets he once wandered silently, the home his father built—all of it is now stained with a horror that won’t fade with time.

Murders Across Three Police Jurisdictions: A Night of Horror Unfolds

At around 7 p.m., Affan walked into the Venjaramoodu police station—not in panic, not in distress, but with a cold, matter-of-fact demeanor. His words must have sounded absurd to the officers on duty. A man calmly confessing to multiple murders, detailing locations, describing victims—it sounded like the script of a crime thriller rather than reality. The officers, initially dismissing his claims as either delusion or deception, soon found themselves gripping their notepads as the gravity of his words sank in.

Affan was not bluffing.

The sheer scale of the crime became evident when he confessed to killing three people in Venjaramoodu Perumala, two in Chullalam, and one in Pangode. The police immediately alerted the Attingal Deputy Superintendent of Police (DYSP), who rushed to the station. What followed was a night of horror unfolding in real-time.

As officers moved to the addresses Affan had listed, the weight of his words became undeniable. Five bodies were discovered across multiple locations, while one victim fought for life. It was an orchestrated massacre carried out with chilling precision.

Affan’s confessions laid out a sequence of events too disturbing to comprehend at first. He claimed to have murdered three people in Perumala, but when officers reached the location, only two bodies were found—his grandmother lay lifeless, his brother critically injured.

His first victim, his 95-year-old grandmother, Salma Beevi, was killed around 5:30 p.m. A frail old woman, a familiar figure in the neighborhood, she had never imagined that the grandson she doted on would be the one to end her life.

After killing her, Affan traveled to S.N. Puram, where he executed his next killings—his paternal uncle, Latheef, and Latheef’s wife, Shahida. It was a precise, almost militaristic sequence—strike, move, strike again. With his uncle and aunt lying dead, Affan returned to his own house, where he finished what he had started.

Grandmother’s Murder Shocks Pangode

For years, the narrow lanes of Thazhe Pangode had echoed with the slow, measured footsteps of Salma Beevi. She wasn’t just another elderly woman in the village—she was a presence, a respected matriarch. She had lived through decades of change, seen generations grow before her eyes. But none of those years could have prepared her for the horror that awaited her on that fateful evening.

Her daughter, returning home at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, walked into the kitchen to find a sight no child should ever witness. Her mother lay motionless on the floor, blood pooling around her body, a deep wound on the back of her head. At first, there was hope—hope that it was just an accident, that she had suffered a fall. But that hope died the moment the police learned of Affan’s shocking confession.

The betrayal cut deeper than any wound. Affan was the youngest son of Rahim, Salma Beevi’s own child. Out of her eleven children, he was the grandson she had always welcomed with warmth. She had been generous to him, offering him money whenever he visited. But Affan’s visits weren’t those of a grateful grandson—they were those of a predator eyeing his prey.

On that Monday morning, he had entered her house with a different purpose. He had allegedly asked for her jewelry, hoping to pawn it. But when she refused, something in him snapped. The grandmother who had once cradled him in her arms was now just another obstacle in his path. He ended her life without hesitation, leaving her lifeless in the very home she had nurtured her family in.

Uncle and Aunt Found Dead

In the quiet isolation of their home, the tragic deaths of Latheef and Shahida went unnoticed by neighbors until media reports surfaced. Latheef, Affan's paternal uncle, had been overseeing the family's affairs during his brother's prolonged absence abroad. The discovery was grim: Latheef's lifeless body was seated on the sofa in the hall, while his wife, Shahida, was found in the kitchen, both drenched in blood. Earlier that evening, a neighbor had visited to extend a wedding invitation and found the couple in good spirits. Latheef, who had health issues, did not go out as much. Police arrived at the scene around 11 p.m. and sealed the premises. The postmortem will be conducted after completing the inquest proceedings on Tuesday.

Friends recall Affan's deep affection for his younger brother, who was ten years younger than him. Affan often took him along to the mosque and other places on his bike. Photos of the brothers together were frequently shared on social media. The motive behind his brother's murder remains unclear.

Girlfriend's Tragic End

The devastating news of Farsana's passing reached her family late on Monday night. Initially, they were informed of an accident involving her. However, by then, the neighborhood had already learned of Farsana's death through media reports. Her mother, Sheeja, was not immediately informed of the tragedy.

Sheeja kept asking about her daughter’s whereabouts, but no one gave her a clear answer. Around 9 p.m., her desperate cries filled the house as she feared the worst. Neighbors tried to console her, but the large crowd gathered outside and the distress on their faces confirmed her fears.

Farsana was well-known in the locality and taught tuition classes for children in the neighborhood. On Monday evening, several children were waiting for her, unaware of the tragedy that had unfolded. Affan was also seen in the area frequently, often arriving on a two-wheeler.

Following his surrender, Affan claimed to have ingested poison in an attempt to end his life. However, during the medical examination, doctors were unable to verify that his body contained any poison. The victims of this tragic incident have been identified by the police as Affan's 13-year-old brother, Ahasan; his paternal uncle, Abdul Lateef, aged 58; his aunt, Shahida Beevi, aged 54; his grandmother, Salma Beevi, aged 88; and his 19-year-old girlfriend, Farshana. Affan's mother, Shemi, aged 47 and a cancer patient, is currently receiving treatment at the Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram due to her critical condition.

In his statement to the police, Affan revealed that he had murdered his family members because they were unwilling to pay off the enormous debts he had accrued following business losses in a Gulf nation. This financial strain appears to have been a significant factor leading up to the tragic events.

Ongoing Investigation and Examination of Evidence

The police are conducting a thorough investigation to uncover additional information, as they have reservations regarding Affan's account. Authorities are examining his cell phone and contact information to determine whether he has a history of drug addiction or other influencing factors. According to the police, the sequence of events began around 3 p.m. when Affan allegedly killed his grandmother at her residence in Pangode. He then traveled approximately 16 kilometers to his paternal uncle's home in SN Puram, near Koonanvenga, where he reportedly murdered both his uncle and aunt. Subsequently, Affan returned to his own house in Perumala, near Pullampara, where he attacked his mother, brother, and girlfriend. After committing these acts, he reportedly left the LPG cylinder in his home open, potentially indicating an attempt to cause further harm or destruction. Affan then took an autorickshaw to the Venjaramoodu police station, where he surrendered. The police responded promptly, verifying the crime scenes and discovering the weapons used in the attacks at the respective locations.

Additional reports suggest that Affan informed the police about his father, Rahim, an NRI whose business was experiencing severe financial difficulties. Affan attempted to raise money to alleviate these issues but was unsuccessful. This failure may have contributed to his decision to murder his family members and subsequently attempt to take his own life. Affan, along with his brother Ahsan and their mother, had previously stayed with Rahim in the Gulf. However, following the collapse of Rahim's business, they returned to Kerala. In a poignant detail, it was reported that Affan even took his brother to a hotel and bought his favorite food before killing him.