Vaniyappara Church Tomb mystery removed

The mystery surrounding grave No. 38 at the Infant Jesus Church graveyard, Vaniyappara, was cleared on Wednesday after the police opened the grave and found that there was no unrecorded third body buried there.

Police said an inspection confirmed the grave contained only the remains of two people officially recorded as being buried. The remains recovered from the grave will be subjected to a DNA test.

The grave was opened after a suspected body-like object wrapped in a mat was found under mysterious circumstances inside, leading to fears that an unidentified body may have been buried there.

The grave was opened in the presence of a large contingent of police, court officials, the police surgeon and church authorities.

According to police, the coffin found in the grave belonged to James Koombukal, who was buried in 2015, while the mat in the grave was linked to Mariyam, who was buried there in 2006.

Parish Vicar Fr. Gilbert Konnayil said that from the beginning the church claimed that only two people were buried in the grave. This has now been confirmed by the police inspection, he said.

Published – 25 Jun 2026 21:54 IST