Police hunt for husband after woman, daughter found dead in Attappady

The police have began a search for a plantation worker from West Bengal in connection with the murder of a woman and her five-year-old daughter in Attappady on Monday. The two bodies were found packed in sacks dumped in the Bhavani river on Sunday.The man under investigation is the woman’s husband. He had come to Attappady with his family about 20 days ago to work on a plantation. The police suspect that frequent arguments over the husband’s suspicion that his wife was in a relationship with another man led to the murders. The husband has been missing after the incident, and police suspect that he may have fled to West Bengal.Sacks used to dispose of the bodies provided a key clue. The remains were found in sacks used for a particular brand of biryani rice sold in Keralam and Tamil Nadu. Police traced the sacks to a grocery shop at Kottathara that gets supplies from Coimbatore.The police examined the shop’s records, CCTV footage and phone records and began focusing on the migrant worker. Investigators also suspect that he bought the sacks.Preliminary examination suggests that the victims were killed with a weapon used for cutting wood. Both had fatal injuries to the neck. The police believe the bodies were folded at the waist, wrapped in plastic sheets and placed in three sacks before being dumped in the river. The heads of both victims were found in one sack, while body parts were found in the other two.Local residents spotted the sacks on Sunday afernoon after the water level in the river fell in the Puthur-Cheerakkadavu area. The police recovered the remains and sent them to the mortuary at Government Medical College Hospital, Thrissur, for post-mortem examination.The post-mortem and forensic reports are expected to provide more details about the cause and time of death. The police are also checking whether the husband took help from anyone else. Published - September 07, 2026 08:47 pm IST