The police have found the remains of a human body in a barrel filled with concrete and bricks from a lake at Kumbalam in Kochi. Photo: ManoramaKumbalam: A day after the remains of a woman was found in a concrete-sealed barrel, the Kochi police have little information on the person's identity.
Though the investigators did not find any gold ornaments, a silver waist band was recovered from the barrel. The police deduce from the size of the waistband recovered from the barrel that the woman may have had a slim physique.
The police have launched an investigation and are checking for reports of missing women in the last year-and-a-half. The police hope that if any relative is found, then the deceased could be identified with the help of the waist band and pieces of clothing recovered from the barrel. The real identity of the dead woman could be established by running DNA tests on the relatives.
The barrel was found abandoned near a trade union office on the shores of a backwater in Kumbalam Monday. The police reached the area following complaints that foul smell was emanating from the barrel reportedly recovered two months ago during a dredging operation in the backwater.
Planned murder
The police have said that the meticulous manner in which the body was disposed off showed that it was a case of planned murder. It was evident that the body of the woman was disposed with much caution, sources said. It is suspected that half of the barrel was filled with concrete before stuffing the dead body in an inverted position with more concrete poured into it.
The skeleton was still stuffed inside the concrete mixture when the police and forensic experts broke open the barrel. The hand and leg bones had shrunk. It appeared that sand, mettle and cement were mixed disproportionately to make the concrete mixture. Metal stones in the concrete were also of different sizes. The police also found some folded denotified notes.
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