Arrest made in case of skeletal remains of Sakthikulangara

Representative image only. File | Photo credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

The Sakthikulangara police have arrested a young man for murdering a 55-year-old man who was tasked with collecting tolls at a port toilet block and dumping his body in a septic tank. The victim, Nizar, a native of Kottukad, Chavara, was reported missing since August 6, 2026.

The gruesome incident came to light on September 30 when workers cleaning a septic tank at the port found decomposed remains hidden in a mat. The port officials immediately alerted the Sakthikulangara police, who conducted preliminary checks, registered a case and completed investigation procedures. An autopsy conducted at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital subsequently confirmed that the death was a homicide.

Investigators identified the victim as Nizara after relatives confirmed that clothing and items found with the remains belonged to him. To scientifically verify his identity, authorities took blood samples from relatives and sent them to the forensics department for DNA profiling.

Expanding their investigation, the police examined CCTV footage from the port and gathered details from local shopkeepers, room tenants and port workers. Investigations revealed that Shyam Jith, alias Jithu, a native of Kottiyam, who had been working at the port under a toilet block contractor for the past two-and-a-half years, suddenly quit his job on August 24.

Based on these leads, a police team led by Kollam West Inspector Vipin took the suspect into custody and interrogated him, leading to his confession. According to the police, a dispute started after Nizar verbally assaulted the suspect inside the toilet block. Enraged, the accused beat up Nizar and hit him on the head, killing him.

After making sure that Nizar was dead, the accused threw the body into the septic tank. The arrest was made by a special police team under the supervision of Kollam ACP Shaji and Inspector Vipin comprising of Sakthikulangara SHO Aneesh Kumar, SI Ajith and Santhosh Kumar, SCPOs Ajith and Sujith and CPO Reeja.

Published – 20 October 2026 20:35 IST