Body of Kerala woman found days after her NRI children raised alarm
text_fields
In late September, Jessy’s children abroad grew concerned when they couldn’t reach their mother and sensed something was wrong. Jessy and her husband, Sam George, had been estranged and fighting a bitter court case, raising the family’s worst fears. Those fears came true days later when Jessy’s body was discovered in a gorge about 60 km from her home, allegedly dumped there by her husband.
On October 3, police arrested 59-year-old Kappadakunnel Sam George for the murder of 49-year-old Jessy. Investigators said the couple had been living separately under the same roof in Kanakkary village, Kottayam. Sam, reportedly angered when Jessy confronted him about his alleged relationships with other women, is accused of killing her.
A former IT professional with work experience in Bengaluru and the Middle East, Sam had more recently enrolled in a postgraduate course in tourism and travel management at MG University, Kottayam, where he is said to have concealed his marital status.
Though estranged, the couple had never formally divorced. Police officials, including Kottayam SP Shahul Hameed A, noted that marital discord had persisted between them for more than a decade, the Indian Express reported.
Police said that although Jessy and Sam had lived under the same roof since 2015, they kept to separate floors of the house — she on the ground floor, he on the first. According to investigators, Sam often went on foreign trips where he cultivated friendships with women abroad, some of whom he invited to Kerala, telling them about opportunities for international students.
In January, Sam allegedly travelled to Tehran, where he befriended a woman and persuaded her to come to Kerala for further studies. She eventually enrolled in a yoga course at MG University, where Sam was also studying. Police noted that Sam initially tried to bring the woman to his home, but Jessy strongly objected, forcing him to drop the idea.
Meanwhile, the court hearing their marital dispute had allowed Jessy to continue living in the Kanakkary house under the provisions of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act. With Jessy’s maintenance petition still pending, police said Sam grew worried that the verdict would likely favour her.
On September 26, during a heated quarrel, Sam allegedly smothered Jessy, placed her body in his car trunk, and drove 60 km to Udumbannoor in Idukki, where he disposed of it in a 50-foot gorge.
Police said the location appeared to have been deliberately chosen, pointing to premeditation. The SP noted that Sam had once lived near the site and had revisited it last month, suggesting he had planned the crime in advance.
The couple’s three children, who live abroad, reportedly grew suspicious the following day when they couldn’t reach their mother. They alerted relatives in Kerala, who in turn informed the police. By that time, Sam had allegedly abandoned his car and gone into hiding.
Investigators later tracked him down in Mysuru along with the Iranian woman he had befriended earlier. Police clarified that she played no part in the crime and only learned of the murder after Sam was taken into custody. She was said to have fully cooperated with the investigation.
Police also revealed that in 2024 Sam had enrolled in a postgraduate course at MG University’s School of Tourism Studies. Department head Dr Robinet Jacob explained that Sam had claimed to be unmarried at the time of admission. He studied for only about five months and skipped his first-semester exam, Jacob noted, adding that faculty had no reason to doubt his claims until after his arrest, when his family background came to light.
Sam, who belonged to a wealthy household in Uzhavoor, Kottayam, had met Jessy in Bengaluru. They married in 1994, though the union was never officially registered or solemnised in church due to opposition from relatives. Jessy was his second wife; his first wife had left him along with their young daughter.
Friends of the family said the couple’s relationship began to deteriorate during their years in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Eventually, they returned to Kanakkary, where they purchased a house.
The couple had two sons who are now abroad. Jessy was also said to have played a significant role in raising Sam’s daughter from his first marriage, with whom she maintained a close bond.