Malappuram: Pothukallu police have taken a man into custody in connection with the murder of a 37-year-old woman whose decomposed body was found under mysterious circumstances on the banks of a river near Munderi in Malappuram district.

The body was found around 9.30pm on Wednesday near Parakkadavu, close to the Neerpuzha river, near Appankappu Colony. Following a detailed investigation, police identified the deceased as Nisha (37), a resident of Appankappu Nagar.

The body, which was in a decomposed condition and believed to be around three days old, was found after a group of people alerted the police. Based on the condition of the body and preliminary examination, police suspected that Nisha had been murdered.

Further investigation led police to suspect her husband, Suresh ( Poovi -39), of being behind the crime. Acting on information that he might be hiding in the Iruttukuthi Colony area following the incident, a police team rushed to the location and took him into custody.

Police said Suresh initially denied involvement during questioning but later confessed to the crime following detailed interrogation.

The accused had reportedly been involved in a murder case earlier as well. Tension and public anger prevailed in the area following the discovery of the body. However, police said their prompt intervention and the suspect's custody within hours helped prevent a major law-and-order situation in the area.

A senior police official of Pothukallu police said the arrest of the accused would be recorded only after postmortem examination of the body, which would be held on Friday. "We have confirmed the identity of the deceased woman. We have to get the opinion of medical experts on the reason for the death before recording the arrest of the accused," said the official.