In a chilling case that shook the region, the Muttom First Additional Sessions Court in Thodupuzha, Idukki, has delivered a death sentence to Aaliyakkunnel Hameed. The 82-year-old was found guilty of a horrific crime: setting his own home on fire, which resulted in the deaths of his son, daughter-in-law, and two young granddaughters in Cheenikuzhy, near Thodupuzha. The motive behind this heinous act was a bitter property dispute.
Presiding over the case, Judge Ash K. Bal handed down the ultimate punishment to Hameed. In addition to the death penalty, the court imposed a fine of ₹6 lakh on the convicted man. He also received a separate 10-year imprisonment sentence for the act of arson itself.
The court had previously declared Hameed guilty of the brutal murders on October 28, bringing a verdict to a case that had captivated the public.
The investigation, meticulously conducted by the Karimannor police, was swift and thorough. Within just 80 days of the crime, they submitted a comprehensive 900-page chargesheet to the court. The prosecution’s case was built on the testimonies of 116 witnesses, 62 material exhibits, and 92 pieces of compelling evidence. Hameed remained in custody, being denied bail throughout the entire trial period.
The gruesome incident unfolded on March 18, 2022. According to police reports, Hameed deliberately set fire to the room where his son and family were sleeping, after ensuring they were trapped by bolting the door from the outside. He then threw burning petrol bottles through the window, engulfing the room in flames. In a calculated attempt to thwart any rescue efforts, he had also drained the water tank, leaving the family without a means to extinguish the blaze or escape its inferno.
The victims of this tragedy were identified as Aaliyakkunnel Muhammed Faizal, also known as Shibu, aged 50; his wife, Sheeba, 45; and their daughters, Mehru, 17, and Asna, 12. All four perished in the fire.
The prosecution detailed that a long-standing property dispute between Hameed and his son had escalated, ultimately leading to the murders. On the day of the incident, a heated argument reportedly erupted between them, during which Hameed even discarded the lunch his son, Faizal, had offered him. He then patiently waited until 12 p.m. for the family to fall asleep before carrying out his horrific plan.
Local residents became aware of the raging fire when one of the children managed to call a neighbor, who immediately rushed to the scene. The trapped family, in a desperate attempt to escape, had sought refuge in the bathroom. However, their desperate efforts were tragically futile as there was no water available, precisely because Hameed had emptied the tank.