Kerala nurse killing: A day after the killing of an Indian-origin nurse from Kerala and her two young children was reported from the United Kingdom, her family on Saturday blamed the victim's husband for the incident.
According to the deceased nurse's family, he husband was a “cruel” man and he had assaulted his wife in the past too. To add to their trouble, they require about Rs 30 lakh to bring the bodies back to India and to spend one final time with their daughter and grandchildren.
The deceased have been identified as 35-year-old Anju Asok and her children, a boy aged 6 years and a girl of 4 years. According to reports, they were found with grave injuries at their home in Kettering in the Northampton region of eastern England on Thursday, December 15. Later, the local police said that Asok died at the spot, while her both children succumbed to their injuries in the hospital.
Speaking to the media at their home in the Vaikom area of the Kottayam district of the state, Asok’s parents said that local police had informed them on the previous night that according to the post-mortem of their daughter, she was strangled to death using a cloth or a rope.
Asok’s mother terms her son-in-law a 'cruel' person
Asok’s mother alleged that her son-in-law — Saju– is a “cruel” person and she has seen him assault her daughter and grandson when the couple was living in Saudi Arabia.
“I was staying with them when my granddaughter was born. I have seen him hit Anju and my grandson. He is a cruel person. He gets angry very quickly. I was scared to be alone with him in the house there. But my daughter never complained. She suffered everything in silence as she did not want us to worry. I am sure his cruelty continued when they moved to England,” she told the media.
She also said that Saju, who had a job in Saudi Arabia, was unemployed while in England, yet he used to control the finances and would rarely send them any money.
“He would decide when we can see our daughter and grandkids via video call,” Asok’s mother claimed. She also said that her son-in-law’s family, who are based in Kannur, loved her daughter and grandkids and they never had any complaints about Asok.
What did Asok's father say?
Meanwhile, Asok’s father said that his daughter studied nursing in Bengaluru and was working there when she met Saju, who used to work in a travel agency.
“It was a love marriage. When she informed us, we were hesitant. But they were both adults and educated people. He was working in a travel agency. My daughter said she would accept it if we said no to their marriage, but she also said not to insist on marrying someone else. So, we agreed to their getting married,” he said.
He also said that while he has not seen his daughter being hit, he has seen his grandson being allegedly manhandled by Saju who was short-tempered.
“We lost everything in the 2018 floods. All we have now is 13 cents of land and this house. If I sell it off, my ailing wife and I will have no place to live in our old age. I have no other means to raise that kind of money. “I am hoping people will help. I will be very grateful to those who can help,” Asok’s father said as his eyes brimmed with tears.
It should be mentioned here that Asok was a nurse working for the National Health Service (NHS) at Kettering General Hospital since 2021.
(With inputs from PTI)
