Police on Friday said it has launched an investigation into the deaths of Kerala Forest Minister A K Saseendran’s niece and her husband, whose charred bodies were recovered from their home at Chirakkal in this north Kerala district.
The deceased were identified as Sreelekha A K (67) and her husband Premarajan P K (76). The couple lived alone, as their two sons are working abroad, police said.
According to officials, the incident came to light around 6 pm on Thursday when the family’s car driver arrived at the house to take the vehicle in order to pick up their son returning from abroad. Finding the house locked from inside and getting no response despite repeated knocking, the driver, along with relatives and neighbours, forced open the door and made the shocking discovery, reported Times of India.
During the inquest, police found head injuries on Sreelekha and recovered a bloodstained hammer from the scene. Investigators suspect she may have been murdered before the couple’s bodies were set on fire inside the house.
The police said that the the bodies were discovered in the bedroom and circumstantial evidence suggests foul play, and all possible angles are being examined, as per PTI.
Police have registered a case of unnatural death, and further forensic examination and autopsy reports are awaited.
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