Kerala shocker: Missing teen found stuffed in sack, hung from tree; murder over affair row suspected

Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala: Police recovered the body of a 17-year-old schoolboy, identified as MD Abhiram, also known as Achu, from a plot of land in Pangappara near Sreekaryam in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday evening (November 2). His body was found stuffed inside a sack and hung from a tree.

Abhiram, a Plus-Two student of NSS Higher Secondary School in Paruthippara, lived at Sangeeth Nagar in Sreekaryam. He had been missing since Sunday afternoon after leaving home to meet a friend in Pangappara.

Schoolboy went missing after leaving home to meet friend

Abhiram left home around 3 pm on Sunday, telling his family that he was going to a friend's house in Pangappara. When his parents contacted him later that evening, he reportedly said he would return shortly.

However, his mobile phone was switched off soon afterwards, and the family could no longer reach him.

Worried about his whereabouts, his parents approached the Sreekaryam police station on Sunday night and lodged a missing person complaint. They returned to the station on Monday morning and expressed dissatisfaction over what they perceived as delays in the police investigation.

Police eventually traced the location where the body was found by examining CCTV footage, questioning Abhiram's friends and analysing mobile tower data. The Police Commissioner also visited the spot to oversee the inquest proceedings.

Fake Instagram account allegedly used to lure victim

Preliminary investigations suggest that Abhiram went to Pangappara after receiving messages from an Instagram account operated in the name of a girl. He reportedly believed he was going to meet the girl with whom he had been chatting and whom he wanted to befriend.

Police suspect that a 17-year-old acquaintance of Abhiram, who was in a relationship with the girl, used her Instagram account to lure him to the location.

The suspect allegedly reached Pangappara along with another 17-year-old mutual friend and confronted Abhiram, demanding that he stop pursuing the girl.

An argument reportedly broke out after Abhiram questioned the demand. The confrontation soon turned violent, with the primary suspect allegedly strangling him using a belt.

Investigators have also found that the main suspect, despite being 17, had dropped out of school and was previously involved in criminal cases, including theft.

Three taken into custody; police probe possible assistance

Police have taken three people into custody in connection with the murder. They include the two 17-year-old teenagers and an adult identified as Umar.

According to preliminary findings, the main suspect allegedly contacted Umar after the murder.

Investigators are examining whether the teenager could have strangled Abhiram, stuffed his body into a sack and hung it from a tree without assistance, or whether others were involved in disposing of the body.

The police are continuing their interrogation to establish the roles of those taken into custody. The missing person case registered at the Sreekaryam police station is being converted into a murder case.