An unidentified body was found on the Kerala University Karyavattom Campus on Wednesdaynear the Botany Department. The body was found stuffed inside a cloth-hammock tied between two trees.

Kazhakoottam police believe that the body is almost 20 days old. Speaking to The News Minute, Kazhakoottam sub-inspector Sunil suspect it to be that of an old man who was reportedly in the habit of sleeping on the campus, and was missing for the past few weeks.

“Going by what the locals say, this particular old man was above 65 years old and was apparently missing for the past three weeks or so. He was not from Kerala, and used to earn his living by begging. He was also in the habit of using a brown colour dhoti as a hammock to sleep at night.

Since the body was found in what appears to be a similar coloured cloth, we presume he may have died of a cardiac arrest in his sleep. But we would be able to ascertain the exact reason only after the autopsy,” the Inspector says.

Identification posed a hurdle, as the body was found in a highly decomposed state. The body has been shifted to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical college hospital for post mortem.