Woman found charred in house compound in Balarampuram

Thiruvananthapuram: The charred body of a 62-year-old woman was found in her house compound at Balarampuram on Saturday night. The deceased was identified as Shobana.Balarampuram police said it was a case of suspected suicide. According to officials, the incident occurred around 10pm, when neighbours noticed a fire in Shobana's backyard. The neighbours doused the fire and attempted to alert Shobana, but she was not be found inside the house.
The neighbours then contacted Shobana's relatives, who were away attending a marriage function. During a subsequent search by locals, Shobana's body was found in a severely burnt condition behind her house. Police and forensic teams conducted an inspection and the body was taken into police custody. As per the preliminary investigation, police suspect that she may have taken the extreme step due to a family-related issue. However, officials said forensic findings would be crucial to arrive at a clear conclusion. A case was registered under the provisions of unnatural deaths, and further investigation is under way. "The flames spread to clothes hung out to dry and firewood stored in the area. We need a detailed investigation before reaching any concrete conclusion," a police source said. The body was shifted to govt medical college hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, for postmortem examination and will be handed over to the family thereafter. Shobana is survived by her husband, Sudhakaran.