Body cam video shows police taser and arrest Saju Chelavalel for murdering his family
By: Police have released body cam footage of the moment triple-murdered Saju Chelavalel was tasered and arrested. The 52-year-old was sentenced today (Monday, July 3) for the murder of his wife and two children.
Chelavalel pleaded guilty to the murder of 35-year-old Anju Asok, six-year-old Jeeva and four-year-old Janvi. A postmortem examination found that all three died of asphyxiation.
Their murders took place on December 15, 2022, just ten days before Christmas. Northamptonshire Police were first made aware of the situation when they responded to calls that a woman and two children had suffered serious injuries.
Emergency services arrived at the property in Petherton Court, in Kettering, and broke the door down to gain entry. Inside they found Chelavalel seated and holding a knife.
Officers then ordered him to put the knife down, but he did not comply. Instead, he continued to wield the knife and repeatedly shouted, "You shoot me."
Officers then tasered Chelavalel, who collapsed to the floor. He was then arrested. Footage of his arrest can be seen in the body cam footage below.
Following his arrest, officers searched the property and found Anju, Jeeva and Javid. Attempts were made to revive Anju, but all three were later declared dead at the scene.
Detective Inspector Simon Barnes praised the work of those who helped bring Chelavalel to justice. He said: “This has been a difficult investigation to bring to this conclusion, and I am immensely proud of all those involved. From the moment officers first arrived on scene and commenced CPR on all three victims, to the investigators, scientists, lawyers and everyone in between, I am content that today we have achieved justice for Anju, Jeeva and Janvi.
“I would like to especially thank DC Mark Allbright as the Family Liaison Officer, DC Karen Kennedy as the Case Officer, DS Matt Bly as my Deputy SIO and Mr Manoj Matthew, who was a friend and colleague to Anju, and provided so much support to the police and family in India, including the repatriation of the victims.”
Chelavalel pleaded guilty to three counts of murder and was sentenced at Northampton Crown Court today (July 3). He was handed a life sentence and will serve a minimum of 40 years behind bars.