The body of a 16-year-old girl, who had been reported to be missing two weeks ago, was recovered from an abandoned well in Nedumangad on Saturday. The victim’s mother and her alleged paramour were arrested by the police for alleged murder.
The partially decomposed mortal remains were fished out in Karipoor after the girl’s mother Manju, 34, and co-accused Anish, 29, of Karanthala, had purportedly confessed to have dumped the body in the well. The discovery marked a shocking turn of events that had commenced with the victim’s grandmother submitting a complaint on June 17.
The complainant had claimed that her granddaughter had been missing since June 11. The girl lived with Manju who is seperated from her husband.
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The accused duo were taken into custody on Friday after they were tracked down in Nagercoil. While they initially claimed that the girl was not with them, during questioning Manju claimed that the girl had committed suicide by hanging herself following an argument she had with her mother. She said they dumped the body in a well near Anish’s house fearing they would be blamed for the death. Two bricks were found to have been tied to the body when it was lifted out of the well.
However, the post-mortem examination held later revealed that the girl died after being strangulated. This lead the police to alter the charges against the accused duo. Nedumangad Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) Stuart Keeler said they were yet to rule out possibilities including sexual abuse.