Mystery over hundreds of inmates vanishing from Tamil Nadu ashram

Fake police certificates, illegal use of restricted drugs and authorisation to dispose of bodies trigger fears

Hundreds of inmates, who had been admitted to the Anbu Jothi Ashram at Kundalapuliyur in Villupuram district, were shifted to homes in other States over the years, a police investigation has revealed.

Since many of the inmates were alms-seekers, pavement-dwellers, mentally challenged and destitute, there were not many complaints of their vanishing from the ashram. With little records available, the police are unsure about their fate.

Halideen, a habeas corpus petitioner in the Madras High Court, had sought legal assistance to trace his relative, Zafirullah, 70, who was admitted to the ashram on December 4, 2021, and subsequently shifted to the Home of Hope, run by the New Ark Mission of India in Bengaluru, along with 52 other people.

The Bengaluru home staff claimed that the septuagenarian was among 14 inmates who had escaped. But no complaint was lodged.

The Hindu has reliably learnt that Zafirullah was shifted to Bengaluru on December 6, 2021. Anbu Jothi Ashram founder Jubin Baby had authorised the home to conduct the last rites, in case Zafirullah died during “treatment and care”.

Baby, in his letter to the Bengaluru home, claimed that the shifted inmates were rescued from Tamil Nadu, and most of them were aged above 50. However, police inquiries revealed that only 13 of them were above 50 years of age. There were 17 inmates in the 41-50; 14 in 31-40; and 9 in 21-30 age groups.

At least three persons have turned up at police stations in Villupuram, looking for their loved ones who had been admitted to the ashram, which was recently shut down following allegations of torture, rape and suspicious activities.