The Additional District Court at Mannarkkad sentenced a couple, Basheer and Faseela from Karimpa, to life imprisonment for murdering Basheer’s grandmother, Nafeesa, in 2016.
Justice Jomon John found Basheer and Faseela guilty of murdering Nafeesa by poisoning her. He issued the judgment on Saturday, sentencing them to life in prison and slapping them each a fine of ₹2 lakh.
The prosecution led by P. Jayan succeeded in proving their involvement in poisoning the 71-year-old woman with circumstantial evidence.
The incident took place on the night of June 21, 2016. Nafeesa’s body was found abandoned at Arayambavu, near Mannarkkad, on June 24, 2016. A suicide note found near the body raised suspicion of murder as the family affirmed that Nafeesa was illiterate.
Basheer and Faseela were expelled from their house following allegations of a theft. Harbouring a grouse against Nafeesa, they coaxed her to their rented house at Nambiyamkunnu, Mannarkkad, on June 21, 2016, and served her poisoned rice gruel. The court found that they ensured her death by forcibly feeding her poison several times that night.
They kept the body in the house for a day. In the early hours of June 23, they took the body in a car and dumped it at Arayambavu.
Basheer was also awarded seven years of imprisonment and a fine of ₹25,000 for destroying evidence.
Nafeesa’s family said that they were happy about the verdict. The fine amount should be given to the victim’s family.
Published – January 18, 2025 09:03 pm IST
