Two years after Kerala man went missing, cops exhume body from his own house

The Kollam police on Wednesday exhumed a body from a house — believed to be that of a 35-year-old resident of the house who was reported missing two years ago. The man identified as Shaji Peter alias Karady Shaji, was said to have gone missing by the family two years back. However, a recent revelation by one of the family’s relatives unravelled that Shajin in fact died two year back in a brawl between him and his younger brother. Shaji’s brother Sajin Peter and their mother Ponnamma have been arrested by the police.

The dramatic events unravelled at Yeroor, a village near Anchal in Kollam district. On Wednesday, as per the information received, when police dug the premises of the house, skeletal remains were retrieved from the spot. The incidents came out in a rather dramatic way, when two days back, one of the relatives of the family, who resides in Pathanamthitta district, disclosed the information to police officials in the district.

According to reports, a man who was in an inebriated condition approached the Pathanamthitta district police chief’s office saying that he wants to reveal details of a murder. Though initially he was ignored by the police officials, persistent demands of the man made the officials take him to a top officer to whom he disclosed details about the crime. He recently learned about the murder from Ponnamma while he visited their house in Yeroor.

Kollam police also confirmed the incidents. “The relative approached the Pathanamthitta District Chief’s office and said that such an incident happened and a man had died. Pathanamthitta police then informed Kollam Rural Police officers leading to the arrest of the deceased’s brother and mother,” said an official of the Yeroor Police station.

According to the police, the arrested duo has given statements that Shaji got killed after getting a blow to his head in a fight between him and his brother Sajin on August 25, 2018, an Onam day. “Shaji had been accused in numerous theft cases in the past. He is known to create problems at the house. It is learned that the incident which led to his death took place in one such fight,” said the police official. Meanwhile, some reports have also stated that he had allegedly misbehaved with Sajin’s wife, leading to the fight.

According to the statements given by the accused, on finding that Shaji had died, Ponnamma and Sajin buried his body by digging a pit in the premises of the house. On Wednesday, when the police in the presence of forensic officials dug out skeletal remains from the pit, the pit was found topped with a concrete layer below the layer of red earth.

Astonishingly, in the past two years, no one suspected any foul play in Shaji’s absence. “The house is located in an isolated area and the family had been saying he had been missing,” said the police, adding that the only reason the crime came to light now is because of the relative’s revelation.

The skeletal remains collected from the premises of the house will be sent for forensic analysis to make sure that it is of Shajin, police added.