Kazhakkoottam: A human skeleton was found in an abandoned water tank near the Botany Department on the Kariyavattom campus of the University of Kerala.
The police sealed the tank and its immediate surroundings. The skeleton, considered to be at least a year old, was taken out and forwarded for a forensic test on Thursday.
The police have recovered the identity card of a Thalassery native from the premises. The probe team is investigating if the skeleton belongs to the person in the id card.
The about 20-foot tank has been abandoned after the commissioning of a new one. The skeleton was found tied to an iron ladder inside the tank, which could be accessed through a manhole. The rope found attached to the skeleton had a noose-like knot at one end.
The cops also recovered a pair of spectacles, cap and tie from the tank. There was also a bag and shirt near the skeleton.
The skeleton was found while the pump operator inspected the area on Wednesday. He shone a torch into the tank after finding a part of a rusted umbrella, and found the bones scattered inside.
The joint registrar alerted the police, and the preliminary investigation made investigators suspect that the skeleton was at least a year old.
The police said the deceased person was familiar with the place if he had entered the tank through the manhole and died by suicide. Investigators were now probing cases of missing persons registered at the Kazhakkoottam, and Sreekariyam police stations.
Not the first case
A skeleton was found two years ago on the Kariyavattom campus. The skeleton, suspected to be that of a man, was found in a dhoti tied to two trees like a hammock.
The investigation in the case was closed on the assumption that the skeleton was that of a vagabond who had sought alms in the Kazhakkoottam area.
