Gavi suspicious death: Post-mortem reveals brutal assault; Forensic reports awaited

Seethathodu (Kerala): The post-mortem report of the woman who died under suspicious circumstances in Gavi-Meenar, Pathanamthitta, has confirmed that she was subjected to a brutal physical assault. Her internal organs have been dispatched to the Forensic Science Laboratory in Thiruvananthapuram for advanced testing.

Officials stated that the mystery surrounding her exact cause of death will only be fully cleared once these lab results are received. Investigators are conducting more extensive tests under the suspicion that the woman may have also been sexually assaulted.

The tragedy occurred on Thursday morning when she was walking along the forest route to report for work in Gavi.

Following the post-mortem examination at the Kottayam Medical College Hospital, the body was handed over to her relatives. The mortal remains have been brought back to Gavi and the funeral is scheduled to take place on Saturday at 10.00 am.

The police have already taken the accused, Vinod Kumar (also known as Kumaran), into custody. He reportedly ambushed the woman from behind and pinned her down. The accused confessed to the police that after assaulting her, he forcibly submerged her head in the stream's water to ensure she was dead. The accused has been remanded by the Ranni Court.

Meanwhile, various government departments have jointly sanctioned an ex-gratia financial assistance of ₹11 lakh for the family of the deceased woman.