C.M. Sebastian: Real estate agent or serial killer? Kerala man under probe for murders spanning two decades

Since December 2024, Jainamma, a native of Ettumanoor in Kerala’s Kottayam district, has been missing. Kerala Police traced her last known mobile tower location to the property of C.M. Sebastian, a 65-year-old resident of Pallippuram, Cherthala, in Alappuzha district. Locally known as “Ammavan”, Sebastian was a familiar figure in the area, working as a real estate agent.

 

He was soon arrested by the Kottayam Crime Branch in connection with Jainamma’s disappearance, as suspicion arose that she may have been murdered. As the investigation progressed, police began uncovering disturbing evidence.

 

Charred human remains were recovered during a search of Sebastian’s property. This led to suspicions about his involvement in multiple missing women cases spanning nearly two decades. The discovery raised chilling questions about whether the seemingly ordinary real estate agent had been leading a double life—as a serial killer who operated undetected for years.

 

On July 28, during a search of his premises, police found a human skull, a thigh bone, and a tooth with a dental clip. In a subsequent search on August 4, eight more charred bone fragments were recovered. When police drained a nearby pond, they discovered the remains of a handbag and a shawl. A rosary was also found stuck on a tree within the compound. Police now strongly suspect that Jainamma was murdered on the property.

 

And the investigation is not limited to Jainamma’s case alone. Sebastian is now a suspect in the disappearances of at least three other women: Ayesha, 58, a former panchayat employee from Varanad, Cherthala, who went missing in 2012; Bindu Padmanabhan, 47, missing since 2006 from Kadakkarappally, Cherthala; and Sindhu, 43, missing since 2020 from Vallakkunathuveli, Cherthala South.

 

The tooth with the dental clip recovered from Sebastian’s premises is suspected to belong to Ayesha, but DNA testing is required for confirmation.

 

Police believe Sebastian’s modus operandi involved targeting women in their 40s and 50s, befriending them, and allegedly murdering them for financial gain—including gold and property. He is also suspected of forging documents to usurp the victims’ assets.

 

Despite the mounting evidence, Sebastian has not confessed to the crimes. He has reportedly displayed a striking degree of confidence during evidence collection.

 

Police are now checking cold cases from the past 16 years and examining Sebastian’s financial transactions with jewellery shops and private finance institutions. DNA testing is underway to confirm the identities of the remains, and samples have already been collected from the families of Jainamma and the other missing women.

India