Sister Abhaya murder case
| Sister Abhaya | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Beena Thomas 1973 Kottayam, Kerala, India |
| Died | March 27, 1992 (aged 18–19) St Pius X Convent, Kottayam, Kerala, India |
| Cause of death | Murder |
| Occupation | Nun |
| Organization | Syro-Malabar Catholic Church |
| Parents |
|
Sister Abhaya (Born Beena Thomas, Died: March 27, 1992 (aged 18–19)), a Knanaya Catholic nun, was found dead in a water well in St Pius X Convent in Kottayam on 27 March 1992. Investigation into this death is by far the longest running murder investigation in the State of Kerala.
The local police which investigated the case initially closed it with a theory of suicide. The Crime Branch which took up the investigation later tried to strengthen the suicide theory, with claims of psychological illness of the deceased. On a writ petition, the High Court of Kerala transferred the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation. The first team of CBI failed to find the reason of death. Upon the instruction of the court a second team was set up, which concluded that it was indeed a murder, but there were not enough evidences leading to the murderers. Court installed a third team of CBI, and they finally found two priests and a nun responsible for the murder and arrested them on 19 November 2008. On 17 July 2009, charges of murder, and destruction of evidence were filed against the three.
Abhaya was a member of St. Joseph's Congregation for women under the Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Kottayam, Kerala.
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.
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