Jolly has been admitted to the Kozhikode Medical College with a slit wrist, police said. (File Photo) Jolly has been admitted to the Kozhikode Medical College with a slit wrist, police said. (File Photo)

Jolly Joseph, the 47-year-old prime accused in the case involving the murders of her close and extended family members over a span of 14 years, allegedly attempted suicide by slitting her left wrist at the district jail in Kozhikode where she was lodged, a senior jail official confirmed. Read in Malayalam

The prisoner was immediately admitted to the district hospital and subsequently to the Medical College in Kozhikode where her condition is said to be stable.

The official said Joseph, who had tried to slit her vein using some kind of blunt object and was subsequently bleeding, was discovered by her fellow prisoners in the cell around 4 am. “Fearing such tendencies, we have never kept her in a solitary cell. We put other prisoners to keep a watch on her. Last night, she had covered herself with a quilt so it was hard to see. But when the other prisoners saw traces of blood around her bed, they alerted us and we rushed her to the hospital,” he said.

Since the vein was not slit, but simply smashed a bit, Joseph was not in a critical condition. She would be brought back to the jail after she recovers fully.

The jail official said Joseph was calm and stoic on most days and has not exhibited suicidal tendencies in the past. “However, we give regular counselling. Even yesterday, there was a session,” he said.

Joseph, who hails from Koodathai village on the outskirts of Kozhikode, was arrested in October last year on charges of killing six of her family members including her first husband and parents-in-law over a span of 14 years by secretly mixing cyanide in their food. The motives behind the alleged murders include taking over the family property and marrying a man of her choice. Trial is currently on in the case.

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App.

© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd