Sister Abhaya Murder Case - Sequence of Events

Sequence of Events

Sister Abhaya was reported missing on the morning of 27 March 1992. She had woken at 4:00am to study for exams, and was last known to have gone to the kitchen for a drink. The refrigerator door was left ajar, a bottle of water was spilled on the floor and a single slipper sat under the fridge – its pair was found beside the convent hostel’s well. After a brief search, Sister Abhaya’s body was found in the convent hostel’s well in the early hours of the same day. Kottayam West Police Station upgraded their investigation to that of an unnatural death. At 10:00am the deceased was removed from the well by the fire force and an inquest was drawn up. A post-mortem conducted on the body by Dr Radhakrishnan of Kottayam Medical College found abrasions on the right shoulder and hip and two small lacerations above the right ear. There was no sign of sexual assault. Despite the potentially significant injuries, the death was ruled a drowning.

The series of inquiries by various investigating bodies that followed were lengthy, convoluted and unsatisfactory, plagued by internal conflict, bitter rivalries and allegations of corruption and bias, compounded by pressure from many quarters to bring the case to conclusion. In April 1992 the Crime Branch of the Criminal Investigation Department took up the case, and months later ruled Sister Abhaya’s death a suicide. However, the Crime Branch was alleged to have destroyed crucial material evidence potentially implicating homicide as a cause of death.

In April 1995, forensic medical experts Dr S K Pathak, Dr Mahesh Verma and Dr. S R Singh conducted dummy experiments leading them to conclude that homicide could not be ruled out. Nevertheless, no arrests were made until November 2008. After years of failed investigations and internal struggles, two priests and a Knanaya nun - Thomas Kottur (or Kottoor), Jose Puthurukkayil and Sister Sephy - were arrested by the Crime Branch on 19 November 2008. All three suspects were granted bail in early January 2009. On 17 July 2009, the three were charged with murder, defamation and destruction of evidence. Prosecutors alleged that Sister Abhaya had stumbled upon the two priests and one nun in a “compromising position” and had subsequently been attacked with an axe and dumped in the well.