Malayalam cine-serial actor Dileep Shankar was found dead in a hotel room in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday morning. He had checked into the room two days ago. Dileep Shankar had acted in Chaappa Kurishu, North 24 Kaatham, and several Malayalam serials, including Amma Ariyathe, Sundari, and Panchagni.

The actor checked into the hotel on December 19. It is reported that the actor had not left the room or gone outside during his stay. The hotel staff found his body after a foul smell emanated from the room when they went to check. The body was found lying on the floor of the hotel room.

The director of Panchagni, the serial Dileep was working in, stated that the actor had been suffering from a serious illness and was receiving treatment for it. However, the nature of the illness is unknown to them. The police have launched an investigation.