The Kerala Police Crime Branch is renewing efforts to locate Sukumara Kurup, a notorious fugitive who has evaded capture for over four decades after allegedly murdering K.J. Chacko in 1984 and faking his own death to claim a life insurance payout. Investigators recently contacted a retired Malayali nurse who worked in Bihar, believing she may have encountered Kurup in 1989 when a man identified as "P.S. Joshi" was admitted to her hospital with a cardiac ailment and later fled suspiciously, suggesting a potential sighting of the absconding criminal. This outreach is part of a broader initiative to execute long-pending warrants and trace fugitives, aiming to resolve one of India's most enduring manhunts, despite numerous theories about Kurup's whereabouts and the possibility that he may have died years ago.

The Kerala Police Crime Branch is renewing efforts to locate Sukumara Kurup, a notorious fugitive who has evaded capture for over four decades after allegedly murdering K.J. Chacko in 1984 and faking his own death to claim a life insurance payout. Investigators recently contacted a retired Malayali nurse who worked in Bihar, believing she may have encountered Kurup in 1989 when a man identified as "P.S. Joshi" was admitted to her hospital with a cardiac ailment and later fled suspiciously, suggesting a potential sighting of the absconding criminal. This outreach is part of a broader initiative to execute long-pending warrants and trace fugitives, aiming to resolve one of India's most enduring manhunts, despite numerous theories about Kurup's whereabouts and the possibility that he may have died years ago.

The Kerala Police Crime Branch is renewing efforts to locate Sukumara Kurup, a notorious fugitive who has evaded capture for over four decades after allegedly murdering K.J. Chacko in 1984 and faking his own death to claim a life insurance payout. Investigators recently contacted a retired Malayali nurse who worked in Bihar, believing she may have encountered Kurup in 1989 when a man identified as "P.S. Joshi" was admitted to her hospital with a cardiac ailment and later fled suspiciously, suggesting a potential sighting of the absconding criminal. This outreach is part of a broader initiative to execute long-pending warrants and trace fugitives, aiming to resolve one of India's most enduring manhunts, despite numerous theories about Kurup's whereabouts and the possibility that he may have died years ago.

Murder accused Sukumara Kurup, who has been at large for more than four decades, is among the most notorious and longest-absconding fugitives in independent India's  history. Now, the Kerala Police Crime Branch has once again turned to a potential witness who may hold clues to the elusive life of the criminal.

A Crime Branch team recently contacted a retired Malayali nurse who spent much of her career in Bihar. Investigators believe she may have encountered Kurup in the late 1980s while he was on the run.

Kurup disappeared after allegedly faking his own death by murdering K.J. Chacko on January 21, 1984. Chacko, who bore a resemblance to Kurup, was allegedly lured into Kurup's Ambassador car, strangled, and his face disfigured to prevent identification. His body was then dressed in Kurup's clothes, and the vehicle was set ablaze near Tannimukkam Puncha in Mavelikara, Alappuzha, to make it appear that Kurup had died in a road accident, in a bid to claim a life insurance amount of Rs 8,00,000.

The charred body was initially believed to be Kurup's. However, forensic examination later confirmed that it was Chacko. While Kurup's three alleged accomplices were  arrested soon afterwards, Kurup vanished without a trace, triggering one of the Kerala  Police's longest and most extensive manhunts. Over the years, investigators have  pursued numerous leads and reported sightings from different parts of India and abroad,  but none has led to his arrest.

The Crime Branch's latest outreach to the retired nurse is part of a statewide special warrant execution drive. The initiative is not limited to the Kurup case but covers all pending warrants handled by the Crime Branch. Its objective is to trace absconding accused, execute long-pending warrants, and produce them before the courts. As part of the exercise, investigators decided to revisit the Kurup case and re-examine old leads, including the nurse's account.

The Malayali nurse was working at the district hospital in Dhanbad in 1989 when a man identifying himself as "P.S. Joshi" was admitted with a cardiac ailment. Police suspect the patient may have been Kurup. It is believed that he fled the hospital with his medical records after allegedly suspecting that the nurse had recognised him.

Over the decades, Kurup's disappearance has spawned numerous theories. One suggests he became a monk in Nepal before later escaping to a Gulf country. Another claims he converted to Islam and has been living in a mosque in Saudi Arabia.

Speculation resurfaced in 2010 during the wedding of Kurup's younger son, Sunit Pillai, at the Sree Vallabha Temple in Thiruvalla, Pathanamthitta district. The wedding invitation reportedly described the groom as the son of "Mr. Sukumara Pillai" rather than using the prefix "Late", fuelling rumours that Kurup was still alive.

At the same time, many investigators and observers believe Kurup may have died years ago, given reports that he had developed serious cardiac problems while in hiding during the 1980s. Yet, in the absence of conclusive evidence, one of India's longest-running fugitive cases remains officially unresolved.