4 of a family go missing in river

One body recovered; suicide pact suspected

Four members of a family went missing in the Venniyode river near Kambalakkad in Wayanad district on Saturday.

The body of Narayanankutty (45) of Kalliruttipparamabil, a mason at Anappara near Chundale in the district, was recovered on Sunday in a joint search led by Fire and Rescue Services personnel and members of the Thurki Jeevan Raksha Samiti, a rescue organisation.

The search for the bodies of his wife Sreeja, 37, children Surya, 11, and Sayooj, 9, will continue on Monday morning, police said.

Narayanankutty and his family were staying in a rented house at Anappara and they left the house on Saturday noon, police said.

The incident came to light on Sunday morning after a villager found a vanity bag, four pairs of slippers and two umbrellas on the bank of the river.

It is suspected that the family committed suicide and they had mentioned it in the diary that they were on a journey and asked the people to inform their kin of their death, police said. Three phone numbers of their relatives were also given in the diary, police said.

However, the police were yet to ascertain the exact reason for the extreme step.

The attempt to recover the bodies of other members was stopped owing to strong undercurrent in the river.