It is around 8pm, Selvaraj can hear the rain hammer against the windows in his one-room house in Kaloor in Kerala’s Ernakulam. Water is trickling into the house, as he sits on the bed, anxious that his wait to return home with his Amma has been extended by two weeks.
My Amma struggled against all odds, living in Kerala for 15 years away from her kids, just so that she could pay for our education. I shall wait and return home only with Amma.R Selvaraja, Padmam's Son
R Selvaraj, is the younger son of Padmam, one of the victims in the Elanthoor human sacrifice incident. Selvaraj reached Kochi on 27 September and has been waiting for the release of the mortal remains of his mother for nearly a month, so that he can perform the last rites at their native place in Dharmapuri in Tamil Nadu.
Selvaraj is currently staying with Padmam’s sister Palani Amma in a small room in Kaloor, which costs over Rs 6,000 for a month.
(Image: Accessed by The Quint)
He has appealed to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and lodged complaints with the Prime Minister, President, and National Human Rights Commission.
‘Had We Got a Job Offer 2 Days Before, She Would Have Returned Home Safe’
In an interview to The Quint, Selvaraj said that his mother could have escaped her horrific fate.
On 28 September, my brother got a government posting as a teacher. And my Amma went missing on 26 September. A day earlier, Amma told us that once he gets his job confirmed, she will return from Kerala. Had we known about this job offer 2 days earlier, we could have saved her. She would have returned home. We could have all lived together but everything changed in two days.Selvaraj, Padmam's Son
Padmam with her sons Sethu (middle) and Selvaraj.
(Image: Edited by Deeksha Malhotra/ The Quint)
Selvaraj is currently staying with Padmam’s sister Palani Amma in a small room in Kaloor, which costs over Rs 6,000 for a month. He told The Quint that his savings have run out and he is facing a severe financial crunch.
This is the house where Selvaraj is living where water enters their home during a heavy downpour.
(Image: Accessed by The Quint)
He told The Quint that after being unemployed for over two years, he had got a job at an IT firm in Chennai a few months back. He had sought leave, mentioning his mother’s poor health. But now it has been over one and a half months since he left work.
Two days back, when he called his manager, he was informed that he had been terminated from the job.
“Since we've arrived here, I’ve spent over Rs 65,000. Since 27 September, we had to hire a rental car and travel thrice to the place where they recovered my mother's body, which is over 100 kilometres away," he said.
Selvaraj’s family also had to pay Rs 5,000 as rent for the lodge room where his mother was staying.
"Once we had to take a rental car and take the police along with us, to a far-off place where my mother’s last known location was registered according to her mobile network. However, we didn't get any leads,” he added.
Selvaraj recounted how during his school holidays he would join Padmam in Kerala and accompany her for work.
(Image: Accessed by The Quint)
Her phone, which is crucial evidence that can unravel the mysterious dealings of Mohammed Shafi, alias Rasheed, key accused in the case, is untraceable since from the morning of 26 September, the day she was murdered.
The mortal remains of 52-year-old Padmam, a lottery ticket seller by profession, were recovered from Elanthoor in Pathanamthitta on 11 October. The accused is alleged to have cut the body into 56 pieces after brutally murdering her. The mortal remains were shifted to Kottayam Medical College to conduct a post-mortem examination.
The Kochi city Deputy Commissioner of Police had informed Selvaraj that the complete DNA results will be available from the Thiruvananthapuram Forensic Science Lab only by the end of November; and so he will need to stay back in Kerala for two more weeks.
Having spent all the family savings on expenses so far and with no job at hand, Selvaraj has appealed to the Collector for financial help with respect to accommodation and daily expenses.
‘While We Wait, We Need Support to Survive:’ Selvaraj
Padmam and her husband had come to Kochi 15 years ago in search of jobs. Along with selling lottery tickets, they did domestic chores in houses as daily wagers. Recently, her husband gone back home, after falling ill. Since then, Padmam had been living alone.
Padmam and her husband had come to Kochi 15 years ago in search of jobs.
(Image: Edited by Deeksha Malhotra/ The Quint)
Recalling the last time Selvaraj spoke to his mother, he told The Quint, “On 25 September, I had called my Amma and we talked casually. She asked if I was eating well. There has not been a single day when we have not talked. She used to call my brother, aunt, sister-in-law and me, daily. So when we didn't get a call for a day and found that her phone was switched off, we freaked out.”
Selvaraj recounted how during his school holidays he would join Padmam in Kerala, accompany her for work saying that he “enjoyed being with her because of how hard she worked for them.”
The mortal remains of the 52-year-old lottery seller were recovered from Elanthoor in Pathanamthitta on 11 October.
(Image: Accessed by The Quint)
“No one found anything suspicious about her. We found nothing negative about the people she spoke to, while living in Kerala. We have confidence in the police as they are doing meticulous investigation. But while we wait we need support to survive,” he added.
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