Police in Kerala have widened their net for the suspect in the gruesome killing of four members of a family in the state capital.

The incident came to light just past midnight on Saturday when neighbours noticed smoke and fire from the two-storied building owned by the family and alerted the police.

A police search found four corpses, identified as those of retired professor Raja Thankam, 60 who had taught history at a college in neighbouring Tamil Nadu state, his wife Jean Padma, 58 who was a doctor, their daughter Caroline, 26 who studied medicine in China, and Lalitha, 70 a relative of the family.

Lalitha reportedly had deficient eyesight.

The home that is now wrapped in a murder mystery is at Nanthancode, close to the Cliff House, the official residence of the state chief minister.

Police are now on the lookout for the couple’s son, Cadell Jeansen Raja who is believed to be on the run.

Besides the bodies of the four victims police also found a partially-burnt dummy in the house, triggering suspicions whether the killer was attempting to leave the impression that five people had died in the fire.

Police are examining four mobile phones and a computer hard disk found in the house.

The killings appear to be a premeditated murder, sources said, judging from the recovery of implements like an axe and knives from the house.

According to neighbours, Cadell Raja had gone to Australia to study medicine, but ended up studying artificial intelligence. He was also involved in developing video games.

They said he was a loner and was hardly seen outside the house when he was in Thiruvananthapuram.

The family is considered to be very rich, owning prime property and estates in different locations in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Police have been quick to circulate Cadell Raja’s photo in the form of a lookout notice, and have shared it with railway stations and airports.
 

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