Thiruvananthapuram: The Keralam Police on Tuesday formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the murder of A D Abhiram, a 17-year-old boy whose body was found stuffed in a sack and dumped in a plantain farm near a temple in Pangappara in Thiruvananthapuram.

The SIT has been constituted under the supervision of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order), Thiruvananthapuram City. It comprises the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Cyber City, two police inspectors, cyber investigation and forensic experts, and other officers.

Abhiram, a native of Pangappara, was allegedly strangled with a belt by a minor following a dispute over a love affair. The minor allegedly contacted the second accused, Umar Muftar S, to help dispose of the body. Anantha, the third accused, allegedly used her phone to lure Abhiram to Pangappara, where the murder took place.

The boy was reported missing at Sreekariyam Police Station on the morning of November 2. A missing-person case was initially registered under Section 57 of the Kerala Police Act, 2011. During the investigation, the police gathered evidence pointing to a murder, following which Section 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, was added to the case.

The second accused, Umar Muftar S, is a resident of Puthen Veedu, Puthuvval, Kallampally, Sreekariyam. He is a rowdy history-sheeter and a KAAPA accused with several criminal cases against him. He was released from preventive detention under KAAPA on September 1. His alleged role in the murder is being investigated, the police said in a statement.

The third accused, Anantha, a resident of Manakkad in Sreevaraham, Thiruvananthapuram, has been arrested. Police said they were examining the possible involvement of others in the crime.

The victim's body was recovered from an uninhabited area in Pangappara based on information provided by the minor during questioning. Inquest procedures have been completed, and the body has been sent to the Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College for a postmortem examination to ascertain the cause of death. Digital and forensic evidence is also being collected and examined.

Meanwhile, the minor, identified as the first accused, was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board in Thiruvananthapuram under the provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. The Board ordered that the minor be placed in an observation home until November 10, subject to further orders.