Twin murder charges in US leave Anila’s native village in Keralam in shock

Tazhakkavayal, a sleepy village near Erattupetta, Kottayam, Keralam, is struggling to come to terms with the news that Anila, one of its former residents, has been arrested in the United States for allegedly killing two Keralite women in Milpitas, California.

For the villagers, the shock is compounded by the image they have always had of Anila and her family. She was known as a quiet, soft-spoken woman and the family enjoyed considerable goodwill among neighbours and relatives.

Anila, who hails from Moonnilavu panchayat, has been arrested in connection with the murders of Anjana and Aani at their residence in Milpitas.

But those who knew her back home find it almost impossible to reconcile the allegations with the Anila they knew. Relatives and neighbours describe her as calm and cordial, saying they have never heard anything negative about her or her family. As far as they knew, Anila was leading a happy life in the US with her husband and child. Her parents had also joined her family there a couple of months ago.

Anila, who comes from a financially well-off family, pursued an engineering degree at Bharananganam before moving to the US around four years ago. Her brother is settled in Canada, leaving the family home in the village unoccupied.

People close to the family said they were unaware of any major problems she may have faced at work in the US. While reports suggest that the loss of her job may have been a trigger, they find it difficult to believe that it could have driven her to such an extreme act. Some suspect there may be more to the incident.

“According to the reports available to us, Anila was close to the other two women. They had gone to the movies together a few weeks ago and even celebrated Onam together only last week. It is really hard to believe that everything could have changed in a single night,” a local resident said.