New Delhi, Sep 12 — The National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo motu cognisance of the reported gruesome murder of a woman and a child in Attappadi in Kerala's Palakkad district and sought a report from the state police within a week, an official said on Saturday.
The severed and decomposed body parts of the victims were reportedly found stuffed in sacks and abandoned on the banks of the Bhavani river, as per a media report.
NCW Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar has written to the Director General of Police, Kerala, seeking immediate apprehension of the suspect, identification of all possible accomplices, a thorough and impartial investigation, and preservation of forensic evidence, said an official statement.
Necessary assistance and support to the victims’ families during the identification and legal process have also been sought, it said.
The Commission has sought an Action Taken Report within seven days, underscoring that the life, dignity and safety of women and children must be protected without compromise.
Meanwhile, a migrant worker from West Bengal has come under the police radar in connection with the gruesome killing of his wife and their five-year-old daughter, whose dismembered bodies were found stuffed into sacks and dumped on the banks of the river.
Investigators suspect that the man, who had arrived in the area along with his wife and their young daughter around 25 days ago, could be behind their murders.
Police have also learnt that the man had harboured suspicions about his wife, giving investigators a possible clue to the motive. The victims are suspected to be the man's wife and daughter.
Police have also received information that the deceased were from West Bengal, strengthening the possibility that the case involves a migrant family. However, their identities are yet to be conclusively established.
The investigation received a major breakthrough from one of the sacks used to dispose of the bodies.
Police found indications from the writing on the sack that it had been brought from Coimbatore to a shop at Kottathara in Attappadi along with other goods.
The batch and other markings on the sack are being examined to trace its exact source.
The Puthur police have launched a detailed probe based on this lead and are checking wholesale and retail shops in Attappadi and along the Tamil Nadu border. CCTV footage is also being examined to establish who purchased or transported the sacks, the police said.