42 years on, Sukumara Kurup mystery returns with Brunei ‘sighting’ — and a photo twist

On January 21, 1984, Sukumara Kurup allegedly carried out a bizarre crime in Alappuzha, abducting and murdering a man named K J Chacko, who was then 31 years old. Kurup, a resident of Cheriyandu village in Kerala's Alappuzha district, was working abroad at the time of the incident and returned home on a break. Along with three accomplices, including his brother-in-law Bhaskara Pillai, Kurup planned to claim a significant Rs 8 lakh life insurance policy by murdering Chacko.

After the gruesome act, the group set Kurup's car ablaze in a paddy field in Mavelikara police station limits. Despite the evidence pointing towards Kurup as the perpetrator, the police were unable to apprehend him. Kurup managed to evade capture, and his accomplices were eventually arrested and sentenced to life terms. The search for Kurup continued, with Interpol involved in the investigation.

Recently, a television channel claimed that Kurup had been "sighted" in Brunei, sparking further interest in the decades-old case. The police have asked the Anti-Drug Group (ADGP) to investigate the report, and Interpol will be contacted to verify the facts. However, the authenticity of the claim remains uncertain, as a family from Thrissur has reported that the man in the photo shown by the channel is actually Damodara Menon, a relative who migrated abroad 40 years ago.