Three sacks recovered from the Bhavanipuzha river at Cheerakadavu in Puthur, Attappady, contained the dismembered remains of a woman believed to be around 30 years old and a girl aged approximately five, police said. The discovery was made on Sunday afternoon after the river’s strong current receded. Residents tending cattle near the riverbank spotted the sacks floating and alerted authorities.
Discovery and Recovery
A joint search by police and a forensic team located the severed heads in one of the sacks. The girl’s body was found in another sack around 50 metres away, while the woman’s body was discovered in a third sack nearly half a kilometre from the other two. All three sacks had drifted apart in the current.
Both bodies were wrapped in plastic, then stuffed into the sacks. Officials said the victims were wearing only undergarments. The bodies had been positioned with hips folded and limbs drawn in. Based on the condition of the remains, investigators estimated the victims had been dead for approximately five days to a week.
Investigation Details
Police believe the victims’ throats were cut using a sharp-edged tool. The manner in which the bodies were dismembered and packed, officials said, pointed to the involvement of more than one person.
The sacks have been identified as biryani-rice bags distributed from Tamil Nadu and available in Kerala. Police are tracing where they were purchased and have reportedly identified a shop at Kottathara that may have supplied them.
Leads and Suspects
Investigators are cross-referencing missing-person records from Attappady and surrounding areas, including locations near the Tamil Nadu border. Preliminary indications suggest the victims may be from another state, and the suspected assailant or assailants may also be from outside Kerala. Police are examining whether a domestic dispute could be connected to the killings, with suspicions that the woman may have been the wife of the accused.
The bodies have been moved to Thrissur Government Medical College Hospital, where postmortem examinations are scheduled. Agali Deputy Superintendent of Police R Ashokan is leading the investigation, working with Agali Circle Inspector C Ratheesh to determine the identities of the victims, the location and time of the murders, and how the sacks reached the river.