Sukumara Kurup

Sukumara Kurup
Born	P K Gopalakrishna Kurup<ref name="folklore">"Finding Sukumara Kurup: Recreating a 37-year-old murder case that has become folklore in Kerala". The Indian Express. 10 January 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.</ref> (1946-05-25) 25 May 1946<ref name="IT01">Jose, Bijin (5 March 2017). "Kerala: Arrest warrant against man who faked death 33 years ago". India Today. Retrieved 19 March 2021.</ref> Cheriyanad,<ref name="folklore" /> Chengannur, Alappuzha, Kerala, India
Spouse(s)	Sarasamma<ref>"30 Years & Still on the Run: The Mystery of Kerala's Most Wanted". Interpol. 19 June 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2021.</ref>
Criminal charge	Murder, Insurance fraud
Wanted by	Kerala State Police Department Interpol<ref>"Interpol-Red Notice-Sukumara Kurup". Interpol. 23 December 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.</ref>
Wanted since	1984

Sukumara Kurup (alias Sukumara Pillai) (born as P K Gopalakrishna Kurup) is an Indian fugitive and is one of the most-wanted criminals in the Indian state of Kerala.<ref>"35 yrs after 'faking' own death, Kerala man still elusive". The Indian Express. 29 January 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2019.</ref><ref name=":0">"Finding Sukumara Kurup: Recreating a 37-year-old murder case that has become folklore in Kerala". 7 November 2021.</ref> On 21 January 1984, he, along with his brother-in-law Bhaskara Pillai, his driver Ponnappan and his aide Shahu, murdered a man named Chacko in an attempt to fake Kurup's own death and thereby claim a life insurance amount of INR 800,000 (approximately USD 80,000 in 1984, which is equivalent to Rs. 72 lakhs in 2026). The subterfuge was soon exposed by the police, who arrested Bhaskara Pillai, Ponnappan and Shahu. However, Kurup absconded from the state in the meantime.<ref name=":1">"The tale of a macabre murder in Kerala: How Sukumara Kurup killed Chacko". The News Minute. 12 November 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2021.</ref> Notorious for being India's longest wanted fugitive, Kurup has been missing since 1984.<ref>Jose, Bijin (5 March 2017). "Kerala: Arrest warrant against man who faked death 33 years ago". India Today. Retrieved 29 August 2019.</ref><ref name="folklore" /><ref name=":2">"40 years on the lam: Chacko's wife, son still grieving as Sukumara Kurup enjoys cult status". Onmanorama.</ref>

Early life

Sukumara Kurup (born as P. K. Gopalakrishna Kurup) was born to Keralite parents, Puthenveettil Shivarama Pillai and his wife, Kurup born near Cheriyanad, Travancore (present-day Alappuzha district, Kerala).<ref name=":1" /> After completing his studies, he joined the Indian Air Force as an airman, where he was referred to as Gopalkrishna Pillai.<ref>FC, Team (9 November 2021). "Who Is Dulquer Salmaan's 'Kurup' Based On? The Fugitive Who Staged His Own Death". www.filmcompanion.in. Retrieved 24 July 2024.</ref> Later, he left the IAF and moved to the Middle East, becoming an executive with a marine petroleum company in Abu Dhabi, where he is known as Sukumara Kurup.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" />

Murder of Chacko

Chacko was forcefully intoxicated, poisoned and strangled to death and later the body was burnt inside an Ambassador car at night near Tannimukkam Puncha in Mavelikara.<ref>"People flock to 'Chacko padam' as 'Kurup' makes headlines".</ref> Sukumara Kurup allegedly committed the crime to fake his own death and claim an insurance amount of ₹800,000, by killing Chacko, who bore a striking resemblance to him. It is assumed that Kurup fled the country after the incident, while two of his three accomplices, driver Ponnappan and brother-in-law Bhaskara Pillai, were sentenced to a life-term imprisonment.<ref>R Gopakumar (13 November 2010), Fugitive fails to turn up at son's wedding, retrieved 27 May 2012</ref> His other accomplice, Chinnakkal Shahu, was arrested, but was later made an approver and released. He is the only living eye-witness of the murder of Chacko.<ref>"If not Chacko, Sukumara Kurup would have killed me, recollects his accomplice". Mathrubhumi. Retrieved 27 November 2021.</ref> According to the police, Sukumara Kurup is still on the list of absconding accused since January 1984.<ref>bose, abhish k (19 January 2014). "30 years on, 'Chacko murder' still alive in files". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 29 August 2019.</ref> The Chacko murder case is one of the longest-standing cases in the judicial history of Kerala. In 2018, Chacko's wife, Santhamma, told Bhaskaran that she forgives him and the others (including Kurup) when they met near the St Thomas Malankara Syrian Catholic Church at Chengannur.<ref>"'Don't know if Sukumara Kurup is alive or dead, but we forgive them'". Onmanorama.</ref>

The Chacko murder case is one case that caught the media's attention during the mid-2000s, when there were reports on Sukumara Kurup lookalikes from various parts of India. Since Kurup's remains still remain untraced, it's unclear as to whether he's dead or alive. Victims of his crime believe he could be alive and well in a foreign country based on what the investigating officer wrote while closing the case after 12 years of search (1984 to 1996): Kurup had fled from the country with the 72 hours head start he got and with possible help from political allies because after the murder came to light, he was able to narrowly escape multiple times from the police.<ref>"Hunt for Sukumara Kurup hots up". The Hindu (Press release). 6 May 2006. Archived from the original on 20 March 2007. Retrieved 26 September 2010.</ref><ref>"Police had nabbed Kurup once but was released in 4 HRS as they failed to identify him: Former DGP".</ref>

However, it is believed by police that Kurup was found multiple times in India under the alias Joshi, and may have already died due to severe cardiac issues. Doctors that had attended him made the prognosis in 1990 that his condition was so bad that after fleeing, he could not have survived for long.<ref>"Sukumara Kurup: How a single man's greed destroyed many families". The Week.</ref>

In popular culture

In 1984, the Malayalam film NH 47, directed by Baby, drew inspiration from the Chacko murder case. Sukumaran portrayed the victim under the name Rahim, while T. G. Ravi took on the role of the killer.<ref>"NH 47". www.malayalachalachithram.com. Retrieved 1 November 2015.</ref><ref>"NH 47" (in Malayalam). malayalasangeetham.info. Retrieved 1 November 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)</ref>

In 2016, director Adoor Gopalakrishnan presented another fictional narrative, Pinneyum featuring Dileep and Kavya Madhavan, loosely based on the original incident.<ref>Harikrishnan, Charmy (28 August 2016). "Why Adoor Gopalakrishnan's 'Pinneyum' is just half feminism". The Economic Times. Retrieved 31 August 2019.</ref>

In 2021, Srinath Rajendran directed a crime thriller biopic, Kurup, revolving around Sukumara Kurup. This fictional film stars Dulquer Salmaan as Sudhakara Kurup, Tovino Thomas as the victim (Charlie), and is told from the perspective of investigative officer S.P. Krishnadas I.P.S, a character inspired by the real investigator S.P. Haridas I.P.S played by Indrajith Sukumaran.<ref>"സുകുമാര 'കുറുപ്പ്' വീണ്ടും; ദുൽഖർ ചിത്രത്തിന് തുടക്കമായി". News18 Malayalam. 1 September 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2019.</ref><ref>"Catch me if you can: Sukumara Kurup, Kerala's most wanted murderer on the run for over 30 years". The News Minute. 18 June 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2021.</ref>

In 2025, and following further investigations into relatives, sources have found images of someone related to Sukumara Kurup. Further details will emerge as investigations continue but this is believed to be a huge breakthrough in the case of searching for Sukumara Kurup.

See also

• List of fugitives from justice who disappeared