KOCHI: In a clear case of murder, the dead body of a woman was found wrapped in a plastic carry bag with throat silt inside her rented home at Kadavanthara in Kochi. The dead body, which was found on Monday, after the house owner was informed of a foul smell emanating from the house, is assumed to be older than four days.
The deceased is identified as Lakshmi, 30, a Maharashtra resident. However, the police are yet to verify the address of the deceased as they didn't submit any address proof to the house owner. The deceased was living with her husband, Ram Bahadur, who went missing after the incident.
"It was the local councillor who informed us about the foul smell from a rented house. When we arrived at the house, we discovered that the body had been wrapped in a plastic cover and a bed cloth inside a bedroom that was locked from the outside. It is a clear case of murder and our prime suspect is the person who introduced her as the husband," said Faisal MS, SHO South police station in Kochi, where the case is registered.
According to the police, the couple were doing hair-fixing jobs at a rented home. "They have been staying here for the last one and a half years. They introduced themselves to the house owner as Maharashtra natives. Since they didn't provide ID proof, we are not sure about their exact details. We need to investigate to get more information," said the officer.
The house owner informed the police that the couple used to engage in quarrels. "The house owner and the nearby residents informed us that they hadn't seen them for the last 2-3 days. Since the dead body was in a decayed state, the murder might have happened on Thursday or Friday. We are awaiting a post-mortem report to get the details of the death," said the officer.
Meanwhile, the police also intensified the search to trace the husband. "We have already started checking the CCTV footage in the area. We hope we will be able to trace him soon," the officer added.