Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala remains in shock over the brutal murders in Venjaramoodu, Thiruvananthapuram. The post-mortem examinations of the victims—Afan’s younger brother Afsan, his grandmother Salma Beevi, his uncle Latheef, Latheef’s wife Shahida, and Afan’s friend Farsana—are scheduled for today. Meanwhile, Afan’s mother, Shameena, who is undergoing treatment, remains in critical condition.Late last night, a magistrate recorded Afan’s statement at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital, where he is receiving treatment after allegedly consuming poison. In his initial statement to the police, Afan claimed that financial distress led him to commit the murders. The police are continuing their investigation based on this claim.Kerala mass killings: How did financial crisis push accused to commit multiple murders? DetailsThe gruesome series of murders that shook the region occurred between 10 AM and 6 PM yesterday. Afan, a 23-year-old, brutally hacked five close family members to death with a hammer. Shockingly, neither neighbors nor relatives were aware of the killings until the police arrived. The murders took place across three different houses.The first victim of Afan’s deadly attack was his 88-year-old paternal grandmother, Salma Beevi, in Pangode. She was found with severe head injuries, likely from being struck against the wall. After killing her, Afan took her gold chain and rode his bike to another relative’s house in Pullambara SN Puram. There, before the blood from his first attack had even dried, he murdered his father’s elder brother, Latheef, and Latheef’s wife, Shahida.After committing the earlier murders, Afan returned home without any hesitation. He even bought Kuzhimanthi, a favorite dish of his younger brother Afsan, who was less than ten years younger than him.At around 3:30 PM, Afan called his girlfriend, Farsana, from her home in Mukkunnur, Venjaramoodu, and brought her to his house. By 5:30 PM, he brutally ensured her death by repeatedly striking her head with a hammer. He then killed his brother Afsan and didn’t spare his cancer-stricken mother, Shamina, either. After leaving Shamina soaked in blood, assuming she was dead, Afan opened the gas cylinder before leaving the house.At 6:30 PM, he walked into the Venjaramoodu police station and confessed to the crime, claiming he had killed six people and consumed rat poison. The entire day, he carried out the murders one after another without any remorse, traveling across the region on his bike.After his younger brother returned home after finishing an exam, he went inside to search for their mother. It was at this moment that Afan lured him inside and brutally killed him with a hammer.After committing the murders, Afan left the hammer in the house itself. Shockingly, he then took a bath, changed his clothes, and only then walked into the police station to surrender, according to the police. His chilling confession—that financial distress led him to commit the killings—has left the police in shock.Kerala mass killings: How did financial crisis push accused to commit multiple murders? Details