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Lone survivor battles for life

Indian-born Abha Kalathat, 34, who was shot by her husband Devan, in a bizarre family murder-suicide in the heart of Silicon Valley, remains in a critical condition.

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Indian-born Abha Kalathat, 34, who was shot by her husband Devan, in a bizarre family murder-suicide in the heart of Silicon Valley, remains in a critical condition in hospital in California, authorities said on Wednesday.

One of the worst episodes of family violence in Santa Clara history left six Indians dead and another injured on Sunday night. The lone survivor Abha remains critical with gunshot wounds in her abdomen.  “The 34-year-old victim is receiving treatment at a local hospital,” an official from the Santa Clara police department told DNA, while describing Abha’s condition on Tuesday night as “critical.”  

Relatives are travelling from London to California to collect the bodies and visit the lone survivor.  Yahoo engineer Devan, 42, shot and injured his wife, killed son Akhil, 11, and daughter Neha, 4. He also killed his wife’s brother, Ashok Appu Poothemkandi, 35, the brother’s wife, Suchitra Sivaraman, 25 and their baby, Ahana Ashok.

“On the surface, there wasn’t a financial reason that would explain this,” Santa Clara police lieutenant Phil Cooke told the San Francisco Chronicle. He said investigators checked for obvious signs such as foreclosure or employment difficulties, but the Yahoo engineer was doing well at work. 

Cooke said: “Multi-faceted difficult family dynamics are being explored between several members of the family.” 

The killing spree took place in normally crime-free and upscale Rivermark, in Santa Clara, which has a mix of town houses, condominiums and Spanish-style houses that go for $1 million. Like neighbouring technology spawned San Jose, it is full of Indian techies, south Indian restaurants and Hindu community centers.  

The Malayalee community in upscale Santa Clara is rallying around the survivor. “It is shocking. We are in touch with the family in Kerala and the Indian consulate. A family member from London is arriving to take care of the formalities,” said Geeta George, president of the Malyalee Association of Northern California.

The Santa Clara killing spree has caught the attention of US gun-control advocates. “Studies have shown over and over again that a gun in the home is more likely to be used against a family member than an intruder,” Juliet Leftwich, senior counsel for Legal Community Against Violence in San Francisco, told US mediapersons.

Raghavan Devarajan filed for a name change in 2002, changing his name to Devan Kalathat. He killed himself on Sunday night.

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