Kochi: A day after a young woman's body, wrapped in bedsheets, was found afloat in Periyar River, an autopsy report has revealed that she was choked to death.
There are no other visible injuries on the woman aged between 25 and 40, according to the police surgeon.
The body, found afloat in the river on Tuesday night, was fished out on Wednesday. Autopsy performed by police surgeon AK Unmesh’s team identified that the body was in the early stages of decomposition. “Asphyxiation is definitely the cause. Only a detailed study will say if she was smothered or pressure was applied to neck. One full salwar pants was found stuffed inside her mouth,” the surgeon wrote in his initial report.
"It may also have been done to keep her quiet during a tussle. There is no jewellery on the body. Pierced ears have no earrings either. An X-ray before autopsy showed no broken bones or injury, indicating no other kind of assault," the report said.
"There are no signs of sexual assault either. Though the body structure indicates someone from outside Kerala, autopsy report will not preconceive that. Nails were well manicured and hair coloured, indicating the woman was beauty conscious," the report added.
The body was first spotted by seminarians at the Vincentian Vidhyabhavan near UC College at Aluva in Ernakulam district on Tuesday. The body was in a decomposed condition and the cops suspect that the woman could have been murdered a few days ago and the body was dumped in the river by the killers
The meticulous manner in which the body was wrapped, tied to big boulders and left to drown in Periyar was clear indication of foul play. The boulders and concrete pieces tied to the body weighed around 40 kg. The concrete pieces appear to have been sliced off some big slab.
The autopsy findings add to the mystery of the incident.
A search on cases of missing persons identical to the victim has turned up no results so far. The surgeon has handed over information on distinct body marks to investigating officers to check if they match with missing individuals.
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