Missing Kochi-based interior designer's teen daughter found dead in river

Vaiga and Sanu Mohan
Vaiga and Sanu Mohan

Kochi: Police are searching for a man, whose 13-year-old daughter was found dead in the River Muttar.

The girl has been identified as Vaiga, daughter of Sanu Mohan (40), living in Sree Gokulam Apartment complex at Kangarappady.

Separate police teams are searching the waterbodies in the neighbouring areas on suspicion that Mohan might have committed suicide. His car is also missing. Efforts to find the vehicle is yet to yield any result, but has deepened the mystery.

Meanwhile, a body of an unidentified man was found in the River Periyar. Investigators said it was not Mohan.

On Sunday evening, Sanu had dropped his wife Remya off at her residence in Alappuzha, and left with Vaiga on the pretext of visiting someone. The father and daughter did not return even late in the night, and attempts to contact him over the phone failed.

Police said Mohan had switched off his phone four days before he went missing, and was carrying Remya's phone. Mohan switched off this phone too, after calling his father-in-law on Sunday night.

The case was registered based on Mohan's relative Praveen's complaint to the Thrikkakara police.

Financial crisis likely trigger

Mohan, who took up interior designing contracts in Kochi, was under a financial crisis, and he owed money to several people. He reportedly told them that his bank account had been freezed due to the transaction of a huge amount, and promised to return their money once the account became active.

Several lenders had reportedly visited Mohan's apartment, police said.

Vaiga's body, found around noon on Monday, was handed over to her relatives after a post-mortem examination.

Police said that the autopsy had confirmed drowning as the cause of death, and nothing suspicious was found.

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