"Incidents of this nature are incredibly distressing"
A man has been charged with the murder of a nurse and her two young children.
Saju Chelavalel was arrested by police at his house in Petherton Court, Kettering, on December 15, 2022, after they were called to reports that three people had been injured.
Emergency services found 35-year-old Anju Asok and her two children Jeeva and Janvi seriously injured.
They were pronounced dead a short time later, with post-mortem examinations giving the cause of the deaths as “asphyxiation”.
Detectives from Northamptonshire Police charged Chelavalel with three counts of murder.
He will appear at Northampton Magistrates’ Court on December 19.
Senior investigating officer, Detective Inspector Simon Barnes, said:
“Our thoughts continue to be with the family of Anju, Jeeva and Janvi, who we are determined to seek justice for.
“Incidents of this nature are incredibly distressing, and I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who responded to the 999 call on Thursday or has been involved with the subsequent investigation, for the professionalism and respect they have shown.
“I also want to thank the local community as we know how upsetting it is for an incident of this nature to take place.
“We will continue to have members of our Neighbourhood Policing Team on patrol in the area and I urge anyone with any concerns to please speak to them.”
Police said Anju was a staff nurse at Kettering General Hospital.
In a statement, the hospital’s chief executive Deborah Needham said:
“Yesterday we received the extremely upsetting news that one of our colleagues had died in circumstances being investigated by Northamptonshire Police.
“Anju Asok was an internationally trained nurse who joined our KGH family in 2021 and predominantly worked on Barnwell B – one of our Orthopaedic wards.
“She was a committed and compassionate staff nurse, who was loved and respected by her dear friends and colleagues.
“All our thoughts are with her friends and family as they come to terms with this sudden loss.”
The hospital is offering professional support to her colleagues.
Local residents expressed their shock.
Business manager Pierino Geranio, who runs his uncle’s barber shop near to the cul-de-sac where the incident happened, said:
“You speak to people about it and they just can’t believe it.
“I come here every day to work and you never expect anything like this – it’s so tragic. It’s totally terrible, beyond comprehension.”
A note attached to one of the tributes read:
“We were shocked and devastated by the news.
“The community will always remember this extremely sad and distressing incident. RIP. We hope you are in a better place.”
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