‘Killer’ confesses after 40 years? Kerala’s unsolved murder mysteries from 1980s resurface
On June 5, Muhammad Ali, 53, a native of Vengara in Malappuram district, Kerala, walked into a police station with a startling confession. He claimed that at the age of 14, he had killed a man—shocking the officers on duty.
According to Ali, the incident took place in 1986 when he was working on the farmland of a man named Devasya in Kootaranji. He told the police that he pushed a young man into the river after the latter tried to assault him while they were working on the farm. Interestingly, police records revealed that there had indeed been a case at the time, but it had been closed, citing natural death.
The Thiruvambady police subsequently reopened the case, verified the crime scene, and confirmed the described method of murder. However, the identity of the victim remains unknown.
What made the case even more startling was the second part of Ali’s confession—that he committed another murder in 1989, and this time, with an acquaintance named Babu. According to him, the second murder took place at Vellayil Beach in Kozhikode. This time too, Ali did not know the victim’s name or any other details about him. As per Ali’s account, the victim extorted money from him.
Police inquiry found that a case resembling Ali’s account was indeed registered at the Nadakkavu police station on September 24, 1989. Newspaper reports from the following day also mentioned the discovery of an unidentified male body on the shore. A special squad led by Kozhikode Town Assistant Commissioner T.K. Ashraf has now started the investigation.
“We are verifying things now. There is indeed a case from that time—an undetected case. It’s being looked into. If there’s any truth in what’s being said, and if that is indeed the case, we will have to reopen it,” said Ashraf, who is leading the investigation.
The police also revealed that Ali’s younger brother claims he has shown signs of mental instability, particularly after the death of his son. “We are checking that as well,” the officer added.
Meanwhile, Ali is currently in remand in the 1986 case, which he himself brought back into the spotlight.
India