Greeshma case: A sessions court in Kerala, sentenced 24-year-old Greeshma to death for the murder of her boyfriend, Sharon Raj. The crime, which took place in 2022, shocked the state with its premeditation and motives. Greeshma, a Kanyakumari resident and postgraduate English student, had been in a relationship with Sharon, a final-year undergraduate from Thiruvananthapuram, since 2021. However, in March 2022, Greeshma’s family arranged her marriage to a military officer and she agreed to the match while still continuing her relationship with Sharon.
With her wedding fast approaching, Greeshma allegedly began planning Sharon’s murder, fearing that he might expose their past to her future husband.
Failed attempts to poison Sharon
According to the prosecution, Greeshma researched methods of poisoning and made several failed attempts to harm Sharon by lacing his drinks with painkillers. She even made him drink water laced with poison. When these things didn’t work out, Greeshma gave her boyfriend a juice-drinking challenge. The juice she offered Sharon was also laced with poison.
After several failed attempts to poison and kill Sharon, Greeshma decided to poison him with herbicide.
On October 14, 2022, she invited him to her home and served him a bitter ayurvedic drink, which she had spiked with herbicide. Since the drink was “ayurvedic”, Sharon didn’t mind the bitterness of it and ended up consuming it.
That night, Sharon fell severely ill and was hospitalised after vomiting repeatedly. Despite treatment, he succumbed to multiple organ failure on October 25. Before his death, Sharon told a friend about Greeshma poisoning him and “cheating” on him.
Arrest and death sentence
Following Sharon’s death, his family filed a police complaint, leading to Greeshma’s arrest on October 31, 2022. Investigators uncovered her attempts to conceal evidence and revealed her motive. During police questioning, Greeshma confessed that she feared Sharon would disclose intimate videos/photos of them together to her fiance.
Her uncle Nirmalakumaran Nair was also sentenced to three years in prison for abetting the crime. Greeshma’s mother Sindhu was acquitted due to lack of evidence.
Greeshma was charged under multiple IPC sections, including 302 (murder), 328 (causing hurt by poison), 364 (kidnapping with intent to murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence). The court found her guilty of premeditated murder, citing her detailed planning and repeated attempts to poison Sharon.
On January 15, 2025, the Neyyattinkara court sentenced Greeshma to death.