Chenthamara, the accused in the Nenmara twin murder case, has been nabbed by the Kerala Police. According to the police, he shows no guilt over killing his neighbours, Sudhakaran and his mother, Lakshmi. In fact, the police claim he is happy about the murders.
Local residents claim that Chenthamara was deeply superstitious and committed the crimes because of his beliefs. This raises questions about whether the police overlooked allegations that he was responsible for the murder of Sudhakaran’s wife, Sajitha in 2019, after visiting an astrologer-sorcerer.
Manu, a local politician, said Chenthamara was once an ordinary, cooperative person. He had worked as a driver in the past. Manu believes his life took a dark turn after he ran over a child with his truck in Palladam, near Tiruppur. Tiruppur Police then charged him with culpable homicide.
According to residents of Pothundy in Palakkad district, Chenthamara also attempted to kill his wife, Vilasini. Following the attempt on her life, she fled with their daughter.
Locals claim that after his wife left him, Chenthamara consulted an astrologer, who predicted that someone with long hair was responsible for her departure. He was known for his eccentric behaviour, often warning people not to wear new clothes or walk past his house. Manu noted that he was a staunch believer in the idea that people were practising black magic against him.
His suspicions eventually turned toward Sajitha—who had been associated with his wife through women’s neighbourhood groups—whom he later killed.
Earlier, local residents and Sudhakaran’s daughter, Akhila, accused the police of negligence in handling the case. Notably, Mahendra Simhan, the station house officer (SHO) of the local police station, was suspended for failing to take timely action. His suspension followed an SP report that found lapses in how he handled Chenthamara’s apparent bail condition violations.
As the investigation progresses, police believe the murders were premeditated, as Chenthamara had already purchased and kept the weapon in advance.
After murdering Sudhakaran and his mother, Chenthamara told the police that he had not visited any sorcerers. However, the police have not taken his statement at face value.
“It is yet to be confirmed whether sorcery played a role in the murder,” said Palakkad district police chief Ajith Kumar, adding that Chenthamara’s belief that his neighbuors practised sorcery against him might have contributed to the crime.
