Sukumara Kurup, one of Keralam’s most infamous fugitives whose act of crime has inspired three films in the four decades that he has remained beyond the reach of the police, is back in the news again after the Crime Branch recently took up the Long Pending (LP) case. Even as speculations were rife that the Kerala Police are moving towards closing the case under the assumption that Kurup might no longer be alive, a Malayalam news channel aired an image of a man in Brunei claiming it to be that of a recent image of Kurup in hiding.

However, on Friday (August 28, 2026), one Karunakaran Menon of Karumathra, near Wadakkanchery, Thrissur, came forward claiming that the photograph being circulated as Kurup’s is actually that of his brother Damodaran Menon, who has been living in Malaysia for nearly three decades.

Retired police officer Ali Akbar had also claimed that Kurup was alive in Brunei and working in the construction sector.

Keralam Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Friday, however, said reports that Kurup is still alive were “only rumours” and directed the Crime Branch to verify their veracity. Crime Branch ADGP H. Venkatesh told that the information shared by the news channel would be sent to Interpol for verification. An Interpol Red Corner Notice is already in existence in the name of Kurup. Mr. Venkatesh said the case will not be closed unless conclusive evidence is available that he is dead.

“Unless we are 100% sure that Kurup is dead, we cannot close the case. Since a former investigation officer who has previously looked into the case has also made some claims, his statement will also be recorded,” said Mr. Venkatesh.

1984 incident

Kurup, who had a well-paying job in Abu Dhabi, was allegedly inspired to stage his own death after learning about an insurance fraud case in Germany. He thought his family could claim a ₹50-lakh insurance policy if they could prove he was dead. On January 22, 1984, Kurup and his accomplices were going around in a car looking for a victim with a similar physique, when Chacko, a film representative, hitched a ride with them from Karuvatta in Alappuzha. Later that night, Chacko’s charred body with a disfigured face was found in a burnt car in a farm near the Kollakadavu bridge in Kunnam, near Mavelikara.

Since that night, Kurup has remained absconding, with the case over the years turning into one of the most discussed ones in Kerala’s public sphere.

Three films – NH 47 directed by Baby in 1984, Pinneyum directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan in 2016, and Kurup directed by Srinath Rajendran in 2021 – have been released based on the case.