In a move reminiscent of the Koodathayi death investigation, where the bodies of six family members were exhumed for investigation, the Crime Branch has decided to exhume the body of a Kerala teen who died 10 years ago.
A 13-year-old boy was found dead in a pond near his home at Bharathannoor in Thiruvananthapuram on April 5, 2009. The body will be exhumed by the Crime Branch on Monday to re-conduct a postmortem and forensic tests under the presence of Nedumangad revenue divisional officer, reports Manorama News.
Although the Crime Branch started the investigation into the case in 2009, it is only now that the agency is exhuming the body.
According to reports, the boy had left his home to go to a shop, but he was later found floating in a pond in the area. The local police had initially said it was a case of death by drowning. As per reports, the post-mortem report which surfaced after some months stated that the boy had suffered head injuries and that there was no water found in the respiratory tract, which is contradictory to the claim of drowning. The boy’s parents had alleged that he had been murdered. The Crime Branch then took over the investigation.
As per a report in the Times of India, the family members had also suspected that the boy was sexually assaulted. When found dead, the boy was found to be naked below waist.
The boy's father also told the newspaper that the boy’s trousers were found near the pond and that forensic tests had revealed seminal stains on it.
The father also reportedly said that the probe had been hampered as the investigating officers kept changing. The neighbours had also alleged that the police questioning them was amounting to personal harassment.
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