New York : Two women from Kerala living with their families in the US were killed in separate incidents in California on August 28, with their common friend arrested in connection with the deaths, according to police and relatives. Relatives said the three women had spent time together the previous day, attending an Onam celebration before going to a theatre to watch a film, according to local media.
Union Minister Suresh Gopi, who has intervened to facilitate the repatriation of the women’s bodies to Kerala, said the deaths had been officially confirmed as homicides. He said the specific motive and detailed findings would be known only after US authorities complete their investigation and issue formal reports. At around noon on August 28, officers received an alert about a hit-and-run collision in a parking lot in the Milpitas area. Witnesses told police that a blue SUV left the scene immediately after the collision.
Police later located a blue SUV matching the description in a nearby parking lot. The vehicle had substantial damage consistent with a collision. Police said its driver, a 32-year-old Milpitas resident, was arrested. Police did not publicly name the woman, while the victim’s family identified her as Anila. Her relatives in Kerala told the media that the family was initially informed that Anjana had suffered serious injuries in an accident and had been hospitalised. The family later learnt that she had died.
Ann’s husband, Jacob, went to the apartment after learning about Anjana’s death and found Ann dead, according to relatives. The details surrounding the second death and the sequence connecting the two incidents have not been fully established by police, and the circumstances remain under investigation. Some relatives have suggested that Anila had recently lost her job in the US, while Ann had secured a job and work permit about two weeks before the incident. However, there is no official confirmation that employment or financial difficulties were linked to the killings.
Ann Mary worked as a computer teacher at a school in the US. She is survived by her husband, Jacob, and their children, Andreesa, 12, and Alisa, 5, according to her family. The three women were known to each other and, according to relatives, had spent time together just a day before their deaths. They attended an Onam celebration and later went to a theatre to watch a film. The circumstances changed dramatically the following day, when Anjana was killed in the collision and Ann was found dead inside her apartment.
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