Believing that his girlfriend, Farsana, would not be able to live without him, 23-year-old Afan brutally murdered her before killing four of his family members in Venjaramoodu, Thiruvananthapuram, on 24 February. Initially planning to die by suicide along with his mother and younger brother due to a ₹65 lakh debt, Afan changed his course when his mother refused, deciding instead to kill his family before taking his own life.