Kochi: The mystery surrounding the death of an Udayamperoor woman, whose body was found stuffed in a barrel that was dumped in the backwaters of Kumbalam, has been solved.
The police have found out that Shakuntala, the wife of one Damodaran, was killed by Eroor native Sajith, who had been in a relationship with the victim's daughter.
Sajith had committed suicide by consuming potassium cyanide the day after Shakuntala's body was recovered from a lake. The police received the crucial information from one of Sajith's friends, who had helped him bury the body. He had committed suicide fearing arrest, the police said.
Shakuntala was against Sajith's relationship with her daughter and this led to the crime, the police said.
Shakuntala's body was found stuffed with concrete mixture inside a barrel at a vacant plot near the Kumbalam Lake on Januray 7, 2017. It took nearly two months for the police to identify the victim through DNA test.
The woman was reported to be missing in September 2016.
The partially nude body was found on January 7 bundled headlong into the barrel. Three Rs 500 notes were also found in the barrel. The victim's legs were found tied to the back and hands folded. Concrete was found filled around the body. The body was more than a year old when it was discovered.
The barrel found in the lake near the Shantivanam crematorium had been an object of mystery to the local people. After Manorama reported the incident, the police visited the spot and broke open the barrel.
The subsequent probe finally led to the conclusion that it was that of Shakuntala.
Implant turned to be crucial clue
A malleolar screw that was found on the woman's body proved to be the crucial turning point in the case. The 6.5-cm screw was found attached to the ankle joint of the victim's left foot. Till then, the police were groping in the dark without any lead on the victim. The police then traced the batch number of the screw with the help of SH Pitkar Orthotools Private Limited, Pune, which manufactured the surgical implant, commonly used to fix fractured bones of ankle and foot.
They then further narrowed down the list and found that only six malleolar implants were used in the treatment of fractured bones by hospitals in Kerala during the past two-and-a-half years.
The police identified and took statements from five of them, but one person remained elusive.
The cops then found that an Udayamperoor native had undergone treatment for a fractured ankle at a private hospital at Thrippunithura. However, the woman did not return to the hospital for further treatment.
As the woman was leading a lonely life, her estranged family did not inform the police that she was missing. The police, however, were able to locate her daughter and a DNA test confirmed that her mother was the victim.
