The body of a 65-year-old petrol pump owner from Thrissur in Kerala was discovered in Guruvayoor, a few hours after he was reported missing by his family members.
Manoharan, who ran a petrol pump in Thrissur’s Kaipamangalam where he also lived, was reported missing in the wee hours of Tuesday morning.
According to a complaint from his daughter, he did not return home after work on Monday. The Kaipamangalam police registered a missing case around 2 am on Tuesday.
At 7.30 am, Manoharan’s body was found on the side of a small road in Guruvayur, 35 km from his house.
“The body was lying outside a decrepit house near the Little Flower College in Mammiyoor. The body was not hidden but was lying by the road,” an officer from the Guruvayur Temple police station told TNM. A case was registered under section 174 of the CrPC and an inquest is being conducted into the death by the Iringalakuda DYSP.
The police also confirmed that Manoharan had driven his white Maruti Ciaz when he left the petrol pump on Monday. The car is now missing. According to the complainant, a stranger picked up Manoharan’s phone and said that “father (Manoharan) was sleeping”. A little after this conversation, the phone was switched off.
The complaint also mentioned that the deceased used to drive his Maruti Ciaz to and from work every day and had contacted his daughter before leaving the petrol pump.
Several reports state that Manoharan’s watch and gold chain were missing from his body. His hands were also reportedly tied when his body was recovered. However, the police are yet to confirm if the items are missing.
The case is suspected to be connected to another incident that happened at the same time in Thrissur. An Uber driver was attacked and left critically injured by two unidentified assailants.
The driver, identified as Amballur native Rakesh Vijayan, was hit on the head with a metal rod by two assailants who booked the cab pretending to be passengers. Rakesh was attacked and pushed out of the car, after which the two men fled with the vehicle. The incident happened in an isolated location near Pudukkad around 1 am – the same time that Manoharan was reported to have gone missing.
Pudukkad police station officials added that the two accused had booked the cab from the transport bus stand in Thrissur to a place in Amballur, Rakesh’s hometown. On reaching an isolated area in Pudukkad, the men attacked the driver and fled with his car.
The police managed to recover the stolen car from Angamaly in Ernakulam district. However, the two men managed to escape.
The police are collecting forensic evidence such as fingerprints to identify the accused men. CCTV visuals are also being analysed.
Meanwhile, Manoharan’s body was taken to the Thrissur Medical College Hospital for a post-mortem. Section 302 of the IPC will be registered once the post-mortem report is released. The police are also investigating any links between the attack on the Uber driver and Manoharan’s death.