KOCHI: An 18-year-old girl who went missing on Sunday was found dead near the Ernakulam wharf at 8.45 pm on Monday. Michelle Shaji Varghese, belonging to Piravom, reportedly drowned in the Kochi backwaters.
She was staying at Kacheripady to pursue the chartered accountancy course. She had left the hostel on Sunday evening after informing the authorities she was going to Kaloor Church. However, she went off the grid after that.
Her relatives had lodged a missing case with the Ernakulam Central police station. Preliminary probe ruled out foul play. The postmortem confirmed drowning to be the cause of death. Further probe is on, the police said.