SHOCKING: 79-Year-Old Man Sets His Son and Family Ablaze, But Why?
Charred bodies found hugging each other
Saturday, March 19, 2022, 12 30 AM: Abdul Faisal(48) and his family had fallen asleep. He, along with his wife Sheeba(45) and two daughters -Mehar(16) and Asna(14), lived under the same roof with Abdul’s father- Hamid. And everyone except Hamid slept in the same bedroom.
Their house was in a place called Thodupuzha in the southernmost state of India, known as Kerala. Abdul Faizal ran a shop nearby, which formed the main income of the family.
In this part of the world, sons don’t live separately from their parents unless it is a work-related necessity. Taking care of old parents is part of the honourable responsibility of every man in India, no matter what culture they hail from.
And grandpas usually have great rapport with their grandkids, and it all works fine.
However, this family had serious issues underpinning their seemingly smooth family life. Hamid often complained about his son not taking care of him and refused to let go of his properties. Faisal and his wife raised a stern opposition to the tyranny of Hamid.
And March 18, 2022, was just another day of altercations and conflicts in the family. After all the mess, Abdul Faisal and his family needed a good night’s sleep.
But their sound sleep was disturbed by something:
Thick smoke!
A few hours before
The 79-year-old Hamid had gone blind with rage. The maturity and level-headedness of age and experience evaded him, and he kept vying for a revenge opportunity.
Hamid wanted to kill his son and his family for how they ‘treated’ him in a property-related issue. Inside his malicious mind, he had already fixed his modus operandi:
Arson.
Hamid had acquired a few litres of petrol and some bottles to equip his makeshift petrol bombs. It did not bother him setting his own house on fire or going to prison; revenge was all he needed to calm his raging mind.
The grandpa had also calculated his son’s possible escape routes.
Once Abdul Faisal and his family were locked in their bedroom and fire was detected, they would seek refuge in the bathroom. They will probably turn the shower on and stand under it. Hamid wanted to plug this opportunity.
He opened the valve of the water tank. Several litres of water flew out, and Hamid stood by until he completely emptied it, down to the last drop. He even shut the main switch off so that someone could not pump water up the tank.
What if neighbours rushed to the scene?
They would try to fetch water from the well. Hamid wanted to cut that option too, so he removed the bucket and ropes near the well. He was old, but his mental acumen was sharp and cruel.
Abdul Faisal and his family had no means of escape now.
March 19, 12: 30 PM
Hamid tiptoed to the bedroom of Abdul Faisal and locked it from outside. He thought the door was strong enough that his son wouldn’t be able to break through. Even if he did, it would be useless by the time he managed to do so. The house would be devoured by fire by then.
Hamid drenched his house in petrol. He walked about the house, pouring fuel on the walls, windows, and all surfaces he deemed fit. The grandpa then came out of the house in satisfaction, locked it and set it on fire. He hurled petrol bottles inside the house to ensure the fire stayed intense.
In a matter of a few minutes, the house was engulfed in flames. Thick smoke and fire erupted.
Hamid stood guard. He knew he had to ward off anybody coming with a rescue mission, and if his son and family found a way out, he had to stop them as well.
It did not matter to him that the house that was being burned took years of toil to build.
It did not matter to him that among the people who were being killed, there were two young girls who had no stake in the family dispute.
All that mattered for Hamid was his revenge.
Inside the bedroom
Abdul Faisal and his family had just woken up. It took them a while to realise what was going on. The room was locked, the fire was starting to make its way into the bedroom. Everyone started feeling the burning sensation on their skins.
They screamed, but it wasn’t enough. The girls were petrified. Their mom tried to keep them close while giving a hand to her husband, trying out different options. He tried to smash the door, scream through the window, shut fire with blankets, nothing was helping.
As Hamid had expected, the family rushed to the bathroom. Much to their disappointment, they realised that the tank was empty. Hardly a drop of water to armour proof them from fire.
Abdul Faisal knew that he and his family would be burnt to death before police or the fire force could arrive. The help, if it has to be of any meaning, should come immediately.
And in that life and death moment, Abdul Faisal’s daughter grabbed her father’s cell phone and fiddled through the contacts.
There it was: Rahul. Abdul Faisal’s good neighbour.
The neighbour intervention
Rahul couldn’t believe what he had just heard. He had a special place in his heart for both Abdul’s daughters. They would often visit his house and spend several hours there. Rahul treated them like family. And now, at close to 12: 45 AM, they are crying out for help.
Rahul looked at Abdul Faisal’s house. It was real, and the house was engulfed in flames. He had no idea how to save them, but he rushed, and he rushed, mustering every bit of energy.
Hamid hung around the house like a hawk to prevent Rahul from intervening. But the youngster overthrew the senior citizen, smashed down the front door and went inside. He reached Abdul Faisal’s room. It was locked, and he could hear the family screaming for help.
Rahul took out all his force and kicked down the door. He still had to fight a striving Hamid, pushing and pulling at him, and even hurling his petrol bottles.
Rahul shouted at the top of his voice, “brother, please come out”. He felt the family had a chance if they could rush through the fire and come out in the open space.
It was their only chance, perhaps.
But inside the bathroom, Abdul Faisal and family figured their fate was sealed. The fire was everywhere, and they didn’t want to go outside the toilet. In the commotion, they could hardly hear Rahul.
The family looked at each other. The construction of their new house was in its final phase. A few more days here, and they were going to shift to a new place and embrace new freedom. Sheeba had long dreamt of a place of their own. It was all going to come together.
But fate and Hamid had other ideas.
The younger daughter Asna hugged her father, and he held her tightly, shielding her from the heat.
Several hours later, when the police picked up their charred bodies from the bathroom, the father and daughter were still hugging each other.
Abdul Faisal and his family thus perished in the fire set by his father, Hamid.
No regrets
After setting an entire family on fire, Hamid went to his relative’s house. He was calm, cool and relaxed. You could mistake him for a man returning from a holiday trip; such was his nonchalance and attitude. His mind kept playing justifications of why he was right to kill them all.
Hamid had demanded that his son return the ancestral property to him, but he refused, and this infuriated the father.
Abdul Faisal knew his father well, and he had complained to the police that he was receiving death threats from Hamid. The officers brought two parties together and had a compromise talk.
This eased the issue for a while, but inside his mind, Abdul knew that no amount of compromise talks would shut his father’s quest for revenge. He expected the worst but hoped to hang on for a few more days because his construction of the new house was almost over.
However, Hamid was not going to give his son that opportunity. He planned, he organised, and he executed the brutal murder.
Mutton and fish
Hamid is currently lodged in prison, waiting for his trial. The officers say that he had not shown a hint of remorse about his acts; infact, Hamid went on to demand mutton and fish for his next meals in jail!
About two decades ago, Hamid left his wife and family to live with another woman. His father couldn’t forgive this abandonment, so he divided the ancestral property among three of Hamid’s sons.
But Hamid’s life with the new woman did not prosper, and he returned to live with his son.
Neighbours recollect that Hamid had constant problems with his children and is even known to have harassed his grandchild. He demanded care, money and property from his sons.
Issues were mounting, but the 3000 square feet, two-storey house, built at the expense of 80 lakhs(about 104k USD)was the glimmer of hope Faizal and his family saw. He was hoping to shift after the holy month of Ramzan. But as fate would have it, the family couldn’t spend a single day in their dream house.
Click the link for pictures
This story wouldn’t be complete without showing you the faces of the people involved, but the copyright policies mean I can’t use them here.
So, click here, and you will be taken to the google images search page of this murder. The first two rows of photos you see includes Hamid, Abdul Faizal and his family.
Sorry for the inconvenience.