Kozhikode: The Crime Branch has unravelled the mystery behind the baffling case in which severed body parts of a man were found over a period of two months at Chaliyam and Mukkam in Kerala's Kozhikode district almost three years ago.
The officers have ascertained that the severed body parts belonged to Ismail, 47, a native of Wandoor in Malappuram. It is suspected that Ismail was killed to keep another murder under the wraps.
The police said that Ismail's friend Birju, 53, was behind both the murders. Birju, a native of West manassery near Mukkam, had connived with Ismail and killed his mother to take over the property. Birju has been nabbed, putting an end to the bone-chilling mystery.
Mystery of dismembered parts
The police had found the limbs and skull at Chaliyam beach during June-July in 2017. The cops were then startled to find the torso inside a gunny bag in Mukkam in the district. After the police investigation failed to shed any light over the mystery, the Crime Branch took over the probe. The officers got clear leads on the accused only at the end of the 2.5-year-long investigation.
Two murders
Birju told everyone that his mother had committed suicide by hanging herself. Birju has now told the police that after killing his mother, the duo hanged her body to make it look like suicide.
And Ismail was reportedly killed after he sought the quotation amount.
Birju got Ismail drunk and then strangled him to death using a rope. After committing the murder, Birju chopped his body parts and scattered these at various places.
The left hand was washed ashore on the Chaliyam beach first. After three days, the right hand was found on the same spot. While the investigation was on, just the torso, without the limbs and head, was found in the sack near the estate road in the hill-range area of Mukkam.
One week later, the skull turned up at the spot from where the hands were found. Detailed examination revealed that all the body parts belonged to the same individual.
The Crime Branch took over the case from the police on October 4, 2017. As they were not able to get any leads, they made a drawing similar to the deceased.
The deceased was identified to be Ismail based on DNA testing. The ADGP said that Ismail's fingerprints and his mother's blood samples proved to be crucial in the identification.
Ismail was named as accused in four cases, the ADGP said during a press meet.