This is the story of a murder that remained a mystery for many years. Sister Abhaya's body was found inside a well and initially, it was believed that she had committed suicide. Later it was found out that it was a murder, but neither the murderer nor any clue to reach him. After this a thief came forward and the case was solved with his testimony.

A slipper lying in the kitchen, a white cloth to cover the head stuck on the door and a water bottle scattered on the floor. This was the condition of the place where the body of a sister named Abhaya was found in a well a few steps away. When the post-mortem was done, nail marks were found on the neck of the sister, two wounds on the head, and scratches in many places on the body and a fracture in the skull. The police investigated and accepted that Sister Abhaya herself had committed suicide by jumping into the well. But, the story was something else.

When there was a demand for an investigation into Sister Abhaya's death, the case was handed over to the CBI. However, the CBI accepted in its investigation that it was a case of murder, but gave up on the investigation as no clue was found about the murderer. Sister Abhaya's death was becoming a mystery when a thief came forward and his testimony exposed the murderers.

Abhaya was murdered because she saw the priest and a nun in an objectionable condition in the kitchen at around 4 in the morning. To prevent their secret from getting revealed, the two first strangled Abhaya and then hit her head with a heavy object. After this, Abhaya's body was thrown into the well. Let us tell you the whole story of this sensational case in detail.

What was the whole story of this murder?

The date was 27 March 1992, morning time and the place was St. Pius X Convent Hostel in Kottayam city of Kerala. The body of Beena Thomas alias Sister Abhaya, who was studying in a nearby college, was found in the well of this hostel. One of her slippers was found near the well and one in the kitchen. The police had assumed that Abhaya had committed suicide by jumping into the well. But, when Abhaya's father raised questions about the death, the investigation of the case was handed over to the CBI.

The CBI started the investigation in 1993, but the investigation went on for 12 long years without any clues. From 1993 to 2005, the CBI submitted four reports, including three closure reports, which were rejected by the court. In its investigation, the CBI arrived at the fact that Abhaya was murdered, but it could not find any clue about the murderer and the motive behind the murder.

The priest and the nun had an illicit relationship

After this, the investigation of the case was transferred from the CBI New Delhi branch to the CBI office in Cochin, Kerala. While the investigation of the case was going on, a thief named Raju came forward, who had entered the same hostel to steal on the night of Sister Abhaya's murder. Raju testified in court that he was present at the spot when Father Thomas Kattoor and Sister Sefi committed this murder.

According to the CBI, Sister Abhaya woke up at around 4:15 am to prepare for her exams. She went to the kitchen on the ground floor to get water, where she saw Father Kattoor and Sister Sefi in an objectionable position. Kattoor taught psychology in the school, while Sister Sefi was in charge of the convent hostel. Both of them had an illicit relationship.

The thief's testimony proved important in the case

On the night of the murder, Kattoor sneaked into the convent and went to Sister Sephy's room. Sephy's room was near the kitchen on the ground floor of the hostel. When he realised that Abhaya had seen them, he first strangled her and then hit her on the head with a small axe kept in the kitchen. He then threw the body into the well of the hostel.

After 27 years, the court held Father Kattur and Sister Saifi guilty of Abhaya's murder and sentenced them to life imprisonment. Raju's testimony proved to be the most important in getting justice for Abhaya. After the verdict of this case came in December 2020, Raju said that many people offered him crores of rupees to change his testimony, but he aimed to get justice for Abhaya.

PC:Livelaw