Cadell Jeansen Raja convicted in 2017 Nanthancode quadruple murder case
Thiruvananthapuram: The Additional Sessions Court in Thiruvananthapuram has found Cadell Jeansen Raja guilty in the chilling 2017 Nanthancode mass family murder case. The sentence is expected to be announced on Tuesday.
The court convicted Raja of brutally murdering his father, Professor Raja Thankam, his mother, Dr. Jean Padma (a cardiologist), his sister Caroll, a medical graduate from China, and his blind aunt, Lalitha. These "one-by-one, execution-style" killings took place over three days beginning April 5, 2017, inside their upscale home in Bains Compound, near Kerala’s ministerial residences.
Emergency services discovered the charred remains of the victims on April 8, 2017, after a fire was reported. Raja was arrested a week later in Chennai with minor burn injuries on his hand.
According to the prosecution, Raja—who is now the sole heir to the family’s vast assets, including a Tamil Nadu plantation—lured each victim to his upstairs room on separate occasions before fatally attacking them with an axe purchased online. A “Stanley’s Carpenter Axe” was recovered during the investigation.
Officials also uncovered violent video games and a human dummy from Raja’s room, which was filled with computers and gaming devices. They alleged that the killings bore eerie similarities to scenes from the game ‘Zoombie Go Boom.’
The trial faced repeated delays over questions regarding Raja’s mental fitness. He claimed the murders occurred while he was attempting “astral projection,” asserting a lack of “mens rea” or criminal intent. However, a court-appointed medical board dismissed this claim, concluding that the killings were deliberate and premeditated.
Prosecutors argued that longstanding familial tensions, academic underperformance, social isolation, and resentment over his family members' overseas ambitions fueled Raja’s motives.
The case was investigated by SP K. E. Baiju, DySP J. K. Dinil, and Sub Inspectors Manikantan and Rajesh. Special Prosecutor Dilip Sathyan represented the State, and the trial was overseen by Additional Sessions Judge K. Vishnu.
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Man killed in flat ceiling plaster crash, wife and son hurt
Thane (PTI): A 45-year-old man was killed, and his wife and son were injured when a portion of plaster from the ceiling collapsed in their flat in a seven-storey building in Thane on Saturday, officials said.
Chief of the Regional Disaster Management Cell, Yasin Tadvi, said the 16-year-old building is not listed in the "dangerous" category.
"The incident occurred in Karumdev Society at about 3 am. The plaster of the hall in a flat on the terrace floor suddenly fell while the occupants were asleep", he said.
Of the four people who were inside the room, two suffered minor injuries and were discharged after primary treatment, Tadvi stated.
The injured persons were identified as Arpita More (42), who suffered minor head injuries, and her son Arush More (16), who sustained injuries to both legs.
Manoj More (45), who sustained chest injuries, died during treatment at a private hospital.
