Coimbatore: Charred body of youth found in forest, probe on

Erode: A day after a charred body was found near Bargur in the district, police on Wednesday identified the deceased as Sakthivel, 25, of Chinnakutthi village near Shoolagiri in Krishnagiri district.

According to a police officer, Sakthivel had gone missing 10 days ago and a case had been registered at the Perigai police station in Krishnagiri district in connection with the same. "The body was identified to be that of Sakthivel with the help of the metal buckle of the belt worn by him. However, the motive behind his murder is yet to be ascertained."

The officer said the charred body was first spotted by local villagers in Kargekandi east beat of Thattakarai forest range in Erode, abutting Karnataka border. The villagers informed the forest staff, who in turn alerted police.

Senior police officials visited the spot and conducted an inquiry. Since the body was fully burned, police could not identify the cause of death. However, villagers said they had heard the sound of a gun shot from the locality a few days ago.

Police are probing multiple angles to ascertain the motive behind the murder and zero in on the assailants.