Milpitas: Three women from Keralam celebrated Onam together in the US last week and then two of them were found dead. The third has now been arrested on charges of causing at least one of the deaths.
All three women lived in the same apartment complex in Milpitas, California. Though from different parts of Keralam, they were known to be quite close.
The two women were found dead on August 28. The news has left the families of the two victims, and the community at large, shocked and grappling with the possible motive behind the act.
The police have not officially identified the victims, but according to information reaching Keralam, the deceased women are Anjana Hari (35), a native of Thrissur, and Ann Mary Mathew (40), from Thiruvananthapuram. Their friend Anila (32), a native of Kottayam, has been arrested in connection with Anjana’s death, as reported by The Indian Express.
The deaths were reported from Mill Creek Apartment at 440 Dixon Landing Road where police personnel had rushed to after receiving reports of a hit-and-run traffic collision in the parking lot, a press release from Milpitas Police said.
“Witnesses reported seeing a blue SUV leaving the area immediately after the incident. When officers arrived, they found a female victim, aged 35, who had sustained significant injuries as a result of the collision. Unfortunately, she was pronounced deceased at the scene,” the release stated.
Officers quickly searched the surrounding area and found a blue SUV matching the description in a nearby parking lot.
“The vehicle had significant damage consistent with being involved in a collision. The driver, a 32-year-old woman, was arrested in connection with the incident. This remains an active and ongoing investigation. The circumstances leading up to the collision are still being determined, and additional information will be released as it becomes available,” the release said.
Ann’s husband rushed home on hearing about the accident involving their friend, only to find her murdered in their flat.
The Milpitas Police, in the press statement, have not mentioned anything about the death of Ann. However, her family in Keralam said the police have confirmed to the relatives in the US about it being a case of homicide.
“We do not know the motive of the crime. On Saturday afternoon, we got information about the incident with Keralites in California saying that she had met with an accident. Later, it was confirmed as a murder. Her husband who came down from the apartment saw his wife lying dead in the parking area. We are told that an inquest and probe are going on. The police are yet to reveal the motive behind the crime,” a family member of Anjana said.
The couple, both software professionals, had moved to California six years ago. “They have a six-year-old daughter. Before moving to the US, they had worked in Bengaluru. While the husband continued to work as a software professional in California, Anjana transitioned to teaching,” the relative said.
The relative said chief minister V D Satheesan and Union minister of state Suresh Gopi had called them to help expedite the procedure to bring the body back home.
“I could contact the husband, but he is unable to speak now. He is in shock and yet to come to terms with the incident. The three families were living in the same apartment complex and had celebrated the Onam festival together last week. They had a good social life, but we are yet to get any information about the motive behind the murder,” he said.
A relative of Ann said in Kottayam that the police in Milpitas have allowed the relatives in California a briefing on Wednesday.
Ann and her husband had moved to the US four years ago. “Upon hearing about the murder of Anjana, Ann’s husband rushed to the flat only to realise that his wife had also been murdered. While the husband was employed at a firm, Ann was not working at the moment. Earlier, she used to work as a teacher. The couple has two children,” said the relative.
“We do not have any information about the motive behind the murder. The local police have told our family friends in Milpitas that Ann’s death was a case of homicide,” the relative added.
The accused, Anila, hailed from Moonnilavu in Kottayam. “She is an engineering graduate who migrated to the US four years ago with her husband. They have a daughter. We came to know about the incident, but none of us is familiar with the motive behind the alleged crime. Anila’s parents had gone to the US for a short vacation and were slated to return to Keralam later this week,” a family friend said.
