The Kerala police have arrested four persons in connection with a case involving a group of conspirators led by a former bank manager who planned to murder a retired BSNL official. Pappachan, an 82-year-old retired BSNL assistant manager, was murdered in an elaborate plan launched by bank employee Saritha. The police also arrested other accomplices: Anup (37), a bank executive from Maruthadi Vasupilla Junction; Animon (44), from Polayahot; Mahin (47), also from Katapakkada; Hasi Hashif Ali (27), resident of Polayathot.
Sarissa was initially hired to manage financial transactions for Papakan and gained his trust after learning that he lived alone. Sarissa and her accomplices seized this opportunity and orchestrated a plan to murder Papachan, driven by Papachan's huge financial assets.
Papakan entrusted the funds to a private bank on Anchalumudu Road where only Sarisha, Anup and one other employee were present. Papakan, with whom they developed a close relationship, revealed personal information, including that his daughter lives abroad and his wife is not with him.
The defendants took advantage of this trust and pressured Papakan to transfer his time deposits to their bank. They lured him in by promising incentives for employees who would bring in new investments. Pappachan is a retired BSNL officer from Vellaittampalam, Kollam. He has a keen interest in stock investments and day-to-day trading, which has significantly increased his wealth. Although he was financially astute, he was convinced of the benefits of these investments and persuaded to relocate his assets.
Known for his simple lifestyle, Papachan often visited Ola's private bank from his residence in Ashram Kairali Nagar to explore investment opportunities. Sarissa exploited his trust, luring him with promises of higher interest rates and convincing him to deposit more funds and hand over checks.
As a result, Pappachan took out a loan of Rs 6 lakh out of a total investment of Rs 36 lakh. Later, another Rs 5 lakh was withdrawn from his account. The fraudulent activities extended to other accounts as well, with Rs 14 lakh being withdrawn from his Punjab National Bank account and Rs 26 lakh from his South India Bank account. According to the police report, around Rs 70 lakh was misappropriated from Papachan's account.
Sarissa was found to have embezzled funds from seven accounts, including Papakan's, all of which belonged to senior citizens. After receiving a complaint from Papakan about the missing funds, bank officials conducted an investigation, reviewed the account discrepancies and informed Sarissa that legal action would be taken if the money was not repaid.
Realizing that they would not be able to return the funds, including those belonging to Papachan, Sarissa and her associates hatched a plan to murder Papachan in order to prevent him from pursuing the matter further.
The conspirators knew that Papakan frequently commuted by bicycle and they targeted him when he was near Ashamas. An initial attempt to cause an accident involving his car failed. They then arranged for a man to drive a car rented specifically for the purpose of murder.
On the day of the incident, Anoop signaled to the driver Anemon as Papachan approached on his bicycle. Animon then speeds up and attacks Papakan with great force. Another co-conspirator, Masin, was present during the attack while Hasif Ali delayed the emergency response by delaying the arrival of an ambulance. Papakan's condition deteriorated rapidly, leading to his death before reaching the hospital.
CCTV footage played a crucial role in linking the accused to Papachan's premeditated murder. The initial attempt was to beat him with a rickshaw. After three failed attempts on May 20, 21 and 22, the conspirators used a blue Wagon-R hired and driven by Animon, a former member of Sarita's financial institutions debt recovery team. .
The police investigation, which included analysis of the defendants' phone conversations, uncovered key evidence that led to their arrests. Although the original owner of the Wagon-R was not involved in the crime and therefore will not face charges, the evidence clearly implicated the defendants.
Papakan's daughter Rachel Papakan played a key role in the investigation, filing a complaint with Quiron East police and providing valuable information about her father's financial dealings. Papakan's wife was Matilda Daniel, and his son was Jacob Papakan.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the case and more details are expected to be released as legal proceedings unfold.
