COIMBATORE: The charred body of an unidentified man was found near Naickenpalayam on the outskirts of Coimbatore on Tuesday. According to the police, the man, aged between 35 and 40 years, was beheaded and then set on fire.
Locals found the half-burnt corpse under a bridge, constructed over a small stream, on Govanur Road and alerted Periyanaickenpalayam police.
The body was sent to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital for postmortem examination.
The crime might have taken place during night time as none in the locality witnessed it, police said, adding that a murder case has been registered and investigation is on.
"Scientific officers and fingerprint experts collected samples from the crime scene. A dog squad was also pressed into the service. A pair of slippers, a plastic chain and a few other things were collected from the crime scene," police said.
Meanwhile, a cyber crime team is collecting mobile phone data from the locality using 'tower dumps' technique to identify the deceased and those involved in the crime, a senior police officer said.
Coimbatore Superintendent of Police Sujith Kumar has formed a special team to investigate the case.