The Thiruvananthapuram City police have arrested two men on charges of murdering a 25-year-old man from Kanyakumari district and disposing of his body by chopping it into pieces.
The police had opened an investigation after two legs were found in the sewage plant at Muttathara on August 15.
The police on Friday identified the accused as Manu Ramesh, 27, and Shaheen Shah, 27. The two are residents of Bangladesh Colony, Muttathara.
The dead man has been identified as Kanishkar of Chinnamuttom, Kanyakumari.
Kanishkar was murdered on the night of August 12 at Manu Ramesh’s home, according to the police. An argument had broken out between the two and Manu stabbed Kanishkar in the throat and chest.
With the help of Shaheen Shah, who is a butcher, Manu had the body chopped into pieces and disposed it of in different locations.
Initially, the police investigation had centred around hospitals in the city on the suspicion that the legs were amputated there. However, this theory was abandoned on subsequent investigation and on the basis of the statement of the doctor who carried out the post-mortem examination.
Investigation into man-missing cases and unnatural deaths in Thiruvananthapuram district did not provide any leads. But extending the investigation into Kanyakumari district, the police received information about Kanishkar who had been reported missing. Subsequent investigation revealed that Kanishkar had travelled to Thiruvananthapuram with one Mahesh Khaleefa of Vadassery. On questioning Mahesh Khaleefa, the police were told that the two men had visited Manu Ramesh at his Bangladesh Colony home. But Mahesh had returned alone.
The police have recovered some of the body parts from near the sewage plant. Manu Ramesh has criminal cases against him in Kanyakumari district. He is also an accused in a narcotics case registered at the Poonthura police station.
A special team led by Assistant Commissioner of Police (Shanghumughom) D.K. Prithviraj under the supervision of Deputy Police Commissioner Ajith Kumar investigated the case and arrested the accused.
