The ghost of Sukumara Kurup—Kerala’s most infamous fugitive—stirred again this week. A photograph, shared widely across social media, claimed to show the wanted man alive and well in Brunei. For a few tense hours, it felt like 1982 all over again.

  • Sukumara Kurup has been wanted since 1982 for murder and faking his own death
  • A photo from Brunei circulated online, falsely identified as Kurup
  • Kerala police confirmed the man is actually Damodara Menon
  • Kerala’s Home Minister has asked the Crime Branch to verify all reports

A fugitive’s long shadow

For four decades, Kurup’s name has echoed through Kerala’s collective memory. He vanished after being accused of murdering a man to fake his own death—an elaborate insurance fraud gone horribly wrong. His escape became legend; his absence, a permanent question mark.

The photo that fooled a state

Then came the image: a man in Brunei, bearing a passing resemblance to aged sketches of Kurup. Social media lit up. WhatsApp groups hummed. For a moment, it seemed the chase was back on.

But hope—or dread—was short-lived. Kerala police moved quickly. They identified the man in the photo as Damodara Menon, not Kurup. Another dead end in a long, cold case.

Official response: caution and curiosity

Still, the sighting rattled officials enough to act. Kerala’s Home Minister has asked the Crime Branch to look into the matter—to verify, to dig, to be sure. After 42 years, no one wants to leave a stone unturned.

Some are asking the legal system to declare Kurup dead. But without a body, without proof, the mystery lingers. And so does the possibility, however faint, that he’s still out there.