Alappuzha: Five persons are in custody for the murder of a woman named Kala who went missing 15 years ago at Mannar in Alappuzha district. Acting on a tip-off received three months ago at the Ambalappuzha Police Station, investigators examined a septic tank on the premises of a house at Eramathoor near Mannar and gathered evidence confirming the murder. Alappuzha District Police Chief (DPC) Chaitra Teresa John told reporters that forensic experts are working on securing more admissible evidence. "Evidence collection is crucial and must be done in a time-bound manner," the police chief said here on Tuesday.

Kala had gone missing in 2009 when she was 27. However, a missing person case was not registered at the time, said DPC John.

The police suspect the involvement of Kala's husband Anil in the crime. Anil works in Israel and efforts are on to bring him back to the country, said the DPC. A special team will be constituted to probe the case, the DPC said.

It is understood that Anil's family opposed his marriage to Kala, who belonged to a different community. They lived separately from his family and after marriage, Anil went to work in Angola. But fissures appeared in the marriage after rumours of Kala having an affair surfaced.

Following domestic disturbances, Kala attempted to return to her house. But Anil is understood to have demanded the custody of her son. According to reports, the couple patched up later and even travelled together in a car to Kuttanad.

It is understood that during their visit to Kuttanad, Anil called five friends and killed Kala in the car. The body was then buried in the septic tank. One of the accused in the case had earlier served a jail term for trying to endanger his wife and children.