In Pachady, a spice-growing hamlet in Kerala’s Idukki district, 54-year-old Reji was the visible anchor of the Ponnoottil family household. He lived with his younger brother Saji, 43, and their ailing mother Mary, 71. Since their father, Mathew, an evangelist, went missing in 2018, Reji had handled most errands and dealings for the family.
Early this month, an autorickshaw driver in the village noticed a change. Saji had begun doing the chores Reji usually did, and Reji himself had not been seen outdoors since the first week of April. The driver’s unease reached the police.
On Monday, officers searching the Ponnoottil property found the decomposed bodies of Reji and Mary dumped in a cow dung pit in the backyard. On Tuesday, police arrested Saji for the murders. Investigators are now looking into whether he played a role in his father’s disappearance eight years ago.
Idukki district Superintendent of Police Sabu Mathew said multiple factors appeared to have driven the crime.
“There was a dispute between the brothers over the division of family property (around an acre of land). Saji also believed Reji was creating obstacles to his marriage. He was also angered by Reji allegedly teasing and questioning him over issues related to parenthood,” the officer said. Both brothers were unmarried, and local residents said Saji had plans to tie the knot soon.
The SP said the case relied largely on forensic and circumstantial evidence. “There are no eyewitnesses. We will seek custody of the accused for detailed questioning. The father’s missing case is also being probed in the wake of these murders,” he said.
According to police, the murders took place in the first week of April, days before the Assembly election in Kerala. The exact date has not yet been established. Local political workers who visited the house seeking votes had seen Mary and Reji. But on April 9, polling day, only Saji turned up to vote.
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Shallow grave, guarded by a dog
Police said that on the day of the murder, Saji, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, quarrelled with Reji. “During the altercation, he assaulted his brother and smothered him. He then turned on his mother, who had recently suffered a stroke, and repeatedly hit her head against a wall, leaving her unconscious,” an officer alleged.
Saji allegedly kept the bodies inside the house overnight, covered with a sheet. The next day, he dragged them to the disused pit, dumped them in, and covered the spot with loose soil. The family owned an aggressive dog; police claimed Saji tied it to a pole near the pit, apparently to keep people away.
Mathew, the brothers’ father and a Pentecostal pastor, had gone missing in 2018. A missing person case was registered, but the investigation had not progressed.
Reji worked with a light-and-sound equipment rental agency in Nedumkandam. Saji did occasional agricultural labour. Their sister, Sini, is married and lives in Anakkara. Neighbours said the family kept largely to themselves.
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‘He threatened to kill me’
Recounting how the crime came to light, Sini said Saji had long been abusive when drunk. “Last year, when I questioned his behaviour, especially how he treated my mother, he threatened to kill me if I returned home. After that, I stopped visiting, but stayed in touch with people in the area,” she said.
She said the autorickshaw driver’s observations triggered the chain of events. “He noticed Saji carrying cardamom for sale — something Reji usually did. He also realised Reji had not called him for two weeks, not even to take our mother to the hospital in Nedumkandam. He alerted a relative, who called me. When I asked Saji, he could not clearly say where my mother was. He claimed she had gone to a medical college in Theni (in neighbouring Tamil Nadu). I realised he was lying. We filed a complaint at the Nedumkandam police station on Sunday,” Sini said.
Police searched the house the next day and exhumed the bodies. Saji fled and hid overnight in a nearby cardamom plantation. On Tuesday, however, as police intensified the search and alerted border checkposts towards Tamil Nadu, Saji appeared at a local shop in the village and allegedly confessed. He was taken into custody.
‘They kept to themselves’
Panchayat member Manu Joseph said Saji had appeared briefly at the polling booth on April 9. “He had a bandage on his body and told people he had fallen in the washroom,” Joseph said.
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Another resident, Linimol Joseph, said Saji had told neighbours he was to be married on April 30 at a church in Nedumkandam. “He had invited people, saying he had been in love for years and that his elder brother had agreed to the marriage. A few days ago, he said the wedding was postponed,” she said.
The twin murders have now prompted police to revisit Mathew’s disappearance. Sini recalled the day he went missing. “He often travelled for religious conventions. One day in 2018, he told our mother he was going to Nedumkandam. In a hurry to catch the bus, he forgot to take his mobile phone. We have not heard from him since. We hope this case will finally bring answers,” she said.
