Kochi: The police were in for a spooky surprise on Monday as they came across a human skull and bones neatly packed and kept inside a fridge in an abandoned house near Chottanikkara on the outskirts of Kochi city. The Chottanikkara police found the human remains in a two-storey house which stands on a 14-acre plot at Palace Square near Eruveli, Chottanikkara. The house, owned by a doctor practising at Palarivattom, has been vacant for nearly 15 years.

The police inspected the house based on a complaint from the panchayat member Indira Dharmaraj over alleged anti-social activities on the vacant plot. The skull and other bones were found packed in three plastic covers in the unused fridge. The bones were sorted as per size. They are suspected to be years old, police sources said, though scientific examination is required to determine the age. The police suspect they were brought to the house from another place.

The police completed inquest procedures and have launched a probe into the incident.