Couple’s son’s friend arrested for the heinous crime.
By The American Bazaar Staff
NEW DELHI: A man in Kerala has been taken into custody by local police in Moothakunnam, under allegations that he killed an elderly couple so that he could rob of them of several thousands of rupees worth of gold jewelry.
According to reports, a man identified only as Joshy, 42, came to the house of Kuniyamthodathu and Rosily Jose (70 and 64, respectively) on April 2 at around 7:00 PM. Joshy already knew the Jose couple because he was friends with their son, Rojo, who has been on the lam since 2012 for his alleged role in a rape and subsequent blackmailing scheme that could land him serious jail time.
When the door was answered, Joshy made his way into the house and brutally murdered the couple by hacking them to death with a machete. He then took all the gold jewelry that was worn by Rosily, and then looted the house for the rest of the gold and other valuables. Overall, Joshy allegedly absconded with many thousands of rupees worth of goods, although there is no firm value on the materials Joshy stole.
Police say Joshy purchased the murder weapon earlier that same day, but had been planning to at least rob, if not kill, the Joses for some time. He has apparently been going through severe financial setbacks, and was looking for a way to get money quickly. Because of his connection through their son, he allegedly knew that the couple kept gold jewelry in the house, and was determined to take it in order to alleviate his monetary burdens.
Joshy is originally from Pullickkal, a town about two-and-a-half hours north of Moothakunnam. Both towns are located on the extreme west side of the state, near the shoreline. Joshy has been a mason in Pullickkal for two decades, and has a daughter. The two of them were visiting Moothakunnam last week for a festival, and stayed at Joshy’s brother’s house on April 1. The next day, the Joses were murdered.
Joshy was finally nabbed by the police on Tuesday, after he traveled to several towns looking to sell or pawn off the stolen goods. In one gold shop, located in Malappuram, Joshy took a gold loan of Rs. 15,000 for just one gold bangle, and has reportedly sold off one of the Joses rings. Police questioned several store owner and cab drivers, one of whom said he had picked up Joshy as a fare, and that Joshy was forced to sell the aforementioned ring in order to get money to pay the cab driver.
The cab driver noted that Joshy was behaving suspiciously, and notified the authorities. They were then able to track him down and arrest him. He now remains in the custody of Deputy Superintendent Anil Kumar, the Special Investigation Team head that caught him, while he waits for trial and sentencing.
The Joshy case has some precedence in the state of Kerala, as another murder from 2006 also involved a young man killing an elderly couple. K. Babu killed retired Army Honorary Lieutenant Kumaranunni Nair, 84, and his 69 year-old wife, Anandavalli Amma at their Palakkad residence by stabbing them. He then burned the bodies to hide the evidence, but was eventually arrested in 2009 and found guilty of the crime. Last month, he was sentenced to death by a special court convened by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).