In a disturbing turn of events in Idukki, Kerala, a man has been apprehended after the exhumation of two bodies, suspected to be his mother and brother, in a missing persons investigation.
A man who went missing after police launched a probe into the disappearance of his mother and brother in this district was taken into custody on Tuesday, police said.
The man, identified as Saji, the younger son of the missing woman, was apprehended from a property near the house following a search by investigators.
The development comes a day after police exhumed two decomposed bodies, believed to be those of a woman and a man, from a pit in the compound of a house belonging to a native of Pachadi.
The bodies were recovered during a search operation launched in connection with a missing persons case involving Marykutty (70) and her son Reji (48), residents of Thootuvakada in Kalkoonthal village, Nedumkandam.
"A detailed interrogation is underway, and further proceedings will be initiated thereafter," an officer of the Nedumkandam police station said.
Police have not confirmed whether Saji has confessed to the crime. However, locals alleged that Saji was heard making incriminating remarks while being taken into custody.
According to police, Marykutty's daughter Sini had filed a missing persons complaint on Sunday, based on which a case was registered.
During the probe, police conducted a search of the house premises on Monday morning and found body parts buried in a recently dug pit.
Later in the day, in the presence of forensic experts, two bodies were exhumed from the site.
The bodies, in a highly decomposed state, have been shifted to a hospital for post-mortem examination to ascertain the cause of death, police said, adding that DNA analysis will be carried out to confirm the identities.
Police suspect that the victims were murdered and buried in the compound.
They said Saji, who had been staying at the house, had earlier given contradictory statements regarding the whereabouts of the missing persons, raising suspicion among relatives and locals.