Police will reopen a controversial tomb at a church cemetery in Vaniyappara, Kannur, on Wednesday morning to investigate the presence of a suspicious object found alongside human remains.

The mystery surfaced on June 13 at the cemetery of Infant Jesus Church, Vaniyappara, when Tomb No. 38 was opened for a fresh burial. Inside, people found a coffin and an unidentified object wrapped in a plastic mat. Following the discovery, the tomb was closed again, and the scheduled burial was shifted to another grave.

The finding raised questions after church authorities confirmed that only two burials had previously taken place in Tomb No. 38 — Rosaamma, who died in 2006, and James Kumbukkal, who was buried there in 2015. Church members pointed out that Christian burial practices do not involve wrapping bodies in plastic mats. Relatives of James also stated that he was buried in a coffin after the grave had been cleaned and prepared with sand and a white cloth. According to them, no such additional object was present in the tomb at the time.

Based on a complaint filed by parish vicar Gilbert Konnayil, Karikkottakkari police registered a case and launched an investigation.

Church authorities have suggested that the mystery could be linked to a mix-up in grave numbering following renovation work carried out at the cemetery in 2019. Police are also examining the possibility that the object could be the remains of a body buried after a postmortem examination, as such bodies are sometimes wrapped in mats.

Meanwhile, speculation emerged linking the remains to Sijo, a Kozhikode native who has been missing since 2014. However, his wife, Nikila, earlier said she does not believe the remains could be those of her husband. Sijo's relatives have demanded a DNA examination.