Karikkanvilla murder

Karikkanvilla murder
Native name കരിക്കൻവില്ല കൊലപാതകം
Date 6 October 1980
Location Meenthalakkara, Tiruvalla, Kerala, India
Coordinates 9°22′59″N 76°35′32″E / 9.38306°N 76.59222°E / 9.38306; 76.59222
Casualties
K. C. George
Rachel George
Deaths Two
Accused Reni George
Gulam muhammed
Gunashekharan
Kiblo Daniel
Charges Murder and theft
Verdict Life imprisonment for all the accused

Karikkanvilla murder is a criminal incident occurred at Meenthalakkara in Tiruvalla, in the south Indian state of Kerala in 1980.[1][2] The murder was one of the criminal cases which drew considerable media and public interest in Kerala, which eventually led to the arrest and conviction of all the four accused.[3] The case also led to a debate on the legal and moral implications of capital punishment.[4]

Incident

On the morning of 7 October 1980, Gowri, a house maid, found her employers dead, early in the morning when she reported at their house for the daily chores. She was working for Mr. K. C. George and Rachel George, an issue-less aged couple living a retired life in their home, Karikkanvilla, in Meenthalakkara, a remote village near the Kerala town of Tiruvalla. The matter was reported to Kerala Police, who launched an investigation into the apparently unnatural deaths. The crime scene did not leave any clues except for some foot marks and the Police found out the marks were made by shoes manufactured outside India.[5]

Crime and investigation

The case was handed over to Siby Mathews,[6] who would later become one of the most accomplished police officers in Kerala service.[7] On interrogation by police, the maid informed them that the couple expected one of their relatives, whom they referred to as Madrasile Mon (son from Madras), to pay a visit to them during those days. This led the trail to Chennai (then known as Madras), and to Reni George, a close relative of the murdered couple.[8] Further investigations led to his arrest, along with three of his accomplices, Gulam Mohammed aka Chen, Gunasekharan, and Kiblo Daniel,[9] the first two from Mauritius and the last named, from Kenya.[8]

It was revealed, during the investigation, that Reni George and his three accomplices were drug addicts.[10] In order to raise money for footing their drug bills,[10] they hatched a plot to kill and rob K. C. George and Rachel, who were closely related to the main accused.[8] The couple were leading a retired life after their return from abroad and the culprits found them as easy targets. They reached Tiruvalla by road from Chennai and, on the night of 6 October 1980, beat the couple to death and escaped with money and jewelry, after wiping out the crime trails.

Subsequent to their arrest, the accused were remanded to judicial custody and were housed at the Sub Jail in Mavelikkara.[1]

Legal proceedings

Kerala Police filed a case against the four accused, with Reni George as the prime accused, at the Additional Sessions Court, Mavelikkara.[1] However, the case was shifted to the Sessions Court, Alappuzha, on request from the accused.[1] The court returned a verdict of capital punishment for the accused, which was later reduced to life imprisonment. The culprits served out 15 years of jail terms and was released on 23 June 1995.[3][10]

Aftermath

While serving his sentence, Reni George, allegedly indulged in drug trafficking inside the jail during the early days.[3] Later, he became repentant and turned to Christianity, eventually becoming an evangelist.[11] He fell in love with a nurse, Teena, married her while he was on parole, and the couple has one daughter.[11] After he was released from jail in 1995, he founded Reny's Children, a Bengaluru based children's home for the children of convicts, who are serving jail terms. He has turned into a preacher[11] and runs a ministry that serves the prisons of the state of Karnataka.[3][10] He has also founded the Bengaluru chapter of Prison Fellowship of India (PFI), a non governmental organization, engaged in the correction, welfare and rehabilitation of former and present prisoners and their families.[9]

The transformation of Reni George gave credence to the arguments of the ant-capital punishment lobby in India and K. T. Thomas, renowned justice of the Supreme Court of India, cited the casein his advocacy against capital punishment.[4]

Madrasile Mon, the movie

Main article: Madrasile Mon

The crime inspired a 1982 movie, Madrasile Mon, directed by J. Sasikumar, which had some names who would later become known in the Malayalam film industry, such as Ravikumar, Raveendran, Mohanlal and Thampi Kannanthanam, among other veteran artists.[12]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "State Of Kerala vs Reny George And Ors.". India Kanoon. 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Testimony by Bro.Reni George (Madrasile Mon)". Karnataka Christians. 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Where are they now?". Times of India. 20 September 2009. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Call to review death penalty". The Hindu. 18 March 2010. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Madrasile Mon (1982)". AMC. 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  6. ↑ "New CIC Siby Mathews to be sworn in on Saturday". Right To Information India. 21 April 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Former DGP Siby Mathews to pen autobiography". Malayala Manorama. 5 August 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 "Testimony of Br Reny George". Malayalee Christian. 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  9. 1 2 "Prison Fellowship of India". Reny's Children. 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Bro. Reny George". Reny's Children. 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  11. 1 2 3 "A Missionary Family". Reny's Children. 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Madrasile Mon". Malayala Sangeetham. 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2015.

External links

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