Cadell Jensen Raja, the man accused of the brutal murder of four members of his family at Nanthencaud in Thiruvananthapuram has been allowed to stay for 10 more days at a psychiatric hospital for further observation.
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Raja who had been kept in the district jail at Poojapura was shifted to a Government Mental Health Centre at Peroorkada after he displayed 'abnormal' behaviour on April 25. According to the police, Cadell behaved violently inside the jail at night, following which he was shifted to the hospital.
As the doctors could not yet find out what his mental condition is, Thiruvananthapuram Judicial First Class Magistrate court on Saturday ordered that Raja will be under observation at the Government Mental Health Centre at Peroorkada for 10 more days.
On Friday, the Mental Health Centre had had submitted a report before the district court. They had asked to extend the time needed to examine Raja and determine his mental state.
According to the Times of India reports Raja will be examined by a medical team comprising four psychiatrists, led by senior consultant psychiatrist Dr OS Selvam. Raja has undergone a few tests, the results of which are yet to come.
"It is hard to determine whether a person is mentally abnormal in 10 days unless it is Stage IV, which is serious mental illness," said a doctor.
Raja has been accused of murdering his father, A Rajathangam, who formerly taught history at Nesamony Memorial Christian College, Marthandam, his mother, Dr Jean Padma C, former cardiologist in General Hospital of Thiruvananthapuram, his sister Caroline and his visually handicapped aunt, Lalitha. The bodies were found on April 9, while Raja was absconding.
Three of the bodies were burnt beyond recognition while the Lalitha's partially decomposed corpse was found bound in bed sheets. Investigators had recovered a half-burnt dummy made of cloth and iron bars and two machetes and an axe with traces of blood on them. While the murder had taken place two to three days back, the neighbours had alerted the police after they noticed fire inside Raja's house on the night of April 8. Reportedly, Raja who sustained burns on his foot was seen escaping the crime scene by scaling a wall.
