Kozhikode native's body exhumed after 2 weeks, autopsy to probe possibility of murder

Areacode police and police surgeon Dr Ajesh P P at St Mary's graveyard in Panampilavil. Photo: Special Arrangement

Kozhikode: The body of Pulikkayil Thomas alias Thomman (36), of Panampilavil near Thottumukkom, a border village of Kozhikode-Malappuram districts, has been exhumed from the tomb and shifted to the Government Medical College, Kozhikode.

Makeshift tent on the tomb of Pulikkayil Thomas at St Mary's graveyard in Panampilavil. Photo: Special Arrangement

Earlier, the authority had planned to do the autopsy from a makeshift tent made on the tomb itself. They later decided to take it to the Medical College as the body was not too decomposed. The police action is based on a complaint by Thomas' father who raised suspicion over his death.

Thomas, a tipper truck driver, died on November 4, and his mortal remains had been buried at the Cemetery of Panampilavu St Mary's Church, in the opinion that it was a natural death. He died of severe pain and a fractured shoulder. Later, his family found out he had been attacked by a gang of his friends and sustained serious injuries. When the family approached his friends, the latter allegedly made contradictory statements. This made them suspicious and pushed them to file a complaint.

Before his death, he complained of severe shoulder pain and consulted a doctor, who asked him to take an X-ray scan. In the report, a fracture on the shoulder was detected. He was planning to consult an orthodontist for further treatment. His body has been taken out by a team led by Areacode police, and police surgeon Ajesh P P led the procedures.

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