Kollam: The charred body of an HR manager was found in a gutted car in a secluded rubber plantation at Ozhukuparackal in Kollam's Edamulackal grama panchayat on Thursday, January 2.

The deceased has been identified as Lanesh Robins (38), a manager at Zellis HR India Pvt Ltd in Kochi's Infopark. Lanesh Robins is a native of Ozhukuparackal and is survived by his wife Nancy, daughter Geona (6) and parents Robinson Mattappallil alias Achankunju and Lally, and sister Lajana.

Robin's white WagonR was found in a rubber plantation with newly planted saplings, approximately 100 feet below road level near his house. The circumstances leading to the incident remain unclear, said Chadayamangalam police, who are investigating the case.

According to his family, Lanesh left home around 6 pm on New Year's Day to watch a movie at Archana Theatre in Anchal. Around 9.30 pm, he called his wife to say he was eating out at a restaurant in Vayakkal, around 2 km from home. A cousin of Robins said he updated his WhatsApp status around 10.30 pm. But Robins never reached home.

Around 7 am on Thursday, Manoj and other relatives went to Anchal police station to report Robins was missing. "We went to Anchal station because the theatre was in Anchal. When we were at the station, we got a call from home saying Robin's car was found in a rubber plantation," he said. His body was beyond recognition.

The cousin quoted above said there was a pig farm near the accident site, but no one at the farm heard any sounds or saw the fire. Either he lost control of the car and it veered off the road or another passing vehicle hit his car, causing him to lose control, said Manoj. Chadayamangalam police are investigating all angles. The funeral will be held at St George Orthodox Church, Makkulam, after the completion of legal proceedings.