The body of a 17-year-old girl, who had gone missing from Kumbalam near here on Tuesday, was found at Valparai in Tamil Nadu, just outside the Sholayar forest range in Kerala.
The Tamil Nadu Police suspect it to be a case of murder and took into custody a 26-year-old, also from Kumbalam, in connection with the suspected murder.
The Kochi Police said that the girl had reportedly turned down his marriage proposal, which allegedly enraged him to take her life.
“The family of the girl had on Tuesday lodged a petition stating that she was missing and also raised suspicion that the accused was behind her disappearance. Later, it emerged that she was seen boarding the car of the accused following which we passed on information about the vehicle to various police stations,” said K. Laljy, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Ernakulam.
He said that Tamil Nadu Police intercepted the car near Valparai and at that time the girl was not with him. Later, Tamil Nadu Police and Malakkapara Police along the Kerala border found her body from a tea plantation along Old Valparai.
A team from Central police led by Inspector S. Vijay Shankar has gone to Valparai to secure the custody of the accused and to bring the body back home.
