Idukki teenager arrested over charred body of 18-year-old Tamil Nadu woman

Idukki: Police, who identified the charred body found in Karimanal, Pambla, on Tuesday as that of 18-year-old Tamil Nadu native Nithya, have arrested her 19-year-old friend, Nishanth, a native of Rajakkad, on charges of murder. Police attributed the motive to a dispute over marriage.

​According to the police, the girl was strangled to death, after which the body was doused with petrol and set on fire. Nishanth had also hit her on the face with a stone to ensure she was dead and to avoid easy identification, police said.

Nithya's charred body was discovered a few days ago in a deserted area in Pambla within the limits of the Karimanal police station. Subsequent investigations by the police revealed her identity, with clues including the nail polish on her toes helping relatives to recognise her.

Further investigations revealed that the girl was in a relationship with a local youngster, with the trail then leading to Nishanth.

Nithya had been missing from her home in Bodinayakanur three days before, prompting her relatives to file a missing person complaint at the Bodinayakanur police station. Based on the information, police tracked down and interrogated Nishanth, after which details of the brutal murder came out.

Police are verifying Nithya's age as well, with doubts surfacing on whether she was actually 18 or younger. Further details would be known once investigation progresses.