SIT looking at more deaths in Ponnamattam family

KOZHIKODE: The special investigation team (SIT) investigating the multiple murders at Koodathayi suspects that prime accused Jolly Joseph tried to poison the daughter of her friend and deputy tahsildar Jayasree on two occasions. One the first occasion she admitted the two-year-old child at a hospital and after the second incident she called up Jayasree to inform her about the child’s condition.Both instances were dubbed as food poisoning then as Jayasree did not doubt her friend.
Jayasree is facing an inquiry for allegedly forging revenue documents to help Jolly. District collector S Sambasiva Rao has ordered a preliminary inquiry and departmental action will be taken after getting the police report. Revenue minister E Chandrasekharan told reporters that necessary action will be taken against Jayasree after a probe.
Meanwhile, police are trying to ascertain Jolly’s role in two more deaths in Ponnamattam family, that of Vincent and Suneesh. They are the sons of Tom Thomas’s siblings Augustin and Dominic.
Vincent was found hanging at his home in August 2002, two days after Tom’s wife Annamma died. A few days after his death, a diary was recovered from the house where Vincent wrote that he was trapped. On January 17, 2008, Suneesh died in a motor bike accident.
Relatives said they had some kind of financial dealings with Jolly. Suneesh’s mother Eliamma said the family never suspected anything until the multiple murders at Koodathayi made headlines.
In a related development, five members of Ponnamattam family raised a suspicion that Jolly had tried to poison them. All of them developed uneasiness after consuming food and vomited. Jolly was present at their house when the incident happened.
Meanwhile, Thamarassery judicial first class magistrate court has asked the police to produce Jolly, MS Mathew and Praji Kumar before the court on Thursday.
On Wednesday, deputy SP (CB) R Haridas moved an application in court seeking the custody of the accused for 11 days. The court deferred the hearing as no lawyer had appeared for Jolly. It is learnt that B A Aloor will appear for her on Friday.