The postmortem report of Latvian national Liga Skromane confirms fears that she was murdered. Liga's body was found last week, more than a month after she went missing.
The preliminary autopsy report, which was released on Saturday, indicated that Liga had died after a struggle with her likely killers. Her neck cartilage was found ruptured, indicating that she was forcefully held by her neck. The cartilage injury was grave enough to cause death, the report said.
Liga who went missing from Pothencode in Thiruvananthapuram was later found dead from a mangrove forest at Thiruvallam on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram. Her decomposed body was identified by her kin and only a subsequent DNA test had confirmed that the body was indeed that of Liga.
The initial observations of the forensic surgeons were conveyed to the police on Saturday morning itself as some suspects are in custody. A final report, which will contain information on internal injuries, will be handed over to the police soon.
Six people are already in custody, and any action, including their arrests, will be effected soon.
Liga, who had arrived in Kerala for pursuing treatment for depression, had gone missing on March 14. Her body was found by locals in a mangrove forest at Thiruvallam. This secluded place is a haven for drug pushers. The victim could have been brought there from Kovalam on some pretext. A boatman's statement to the police strengthens this possibility. The six people were arrested following his statement and an examination of his boat.
Meanwhile, forensic experts recovered a hair strand from a noose at the crime scene, which they suspect could belong to a suspected murderer. The hair evidence could be used to carry out an arrest once a DNA report is out. The noose was made of wild vines. Police suspect that the murderer tried to hang Liga from a tree as her body was found resting against a tree. Her body could have fallen as the noose snapped and hence was also found slightly tilted towards the creepers near the tree. Forensic experts scanned the tree in the swampy area for more evidence.
Some of those who are in custody for questioning are members of a drug racket in the area. The police suspect that a few of them might be directly involved in the crime. It is suspected that they might have seen the body inside the mangrove forest before it was recovered last Friday. A cash reward had been announced for information on the missing woman, but surprisingly, none of them passed on the information to the police.
The police did not give much weight to the testimonies from local people that they had seen Liga coming out of the mangrove forest. It is suspected that there are deliberate efforts to mislead the investigation and divert the attention of the police.
Yoga instructor is a suspect
A yoga instructor, who is now in police custody, is also a suspect in Liga's death. He was seen with Liga a few times at Kovalam and Varkala. This Kovalam resident doubled up as a tourist guide also as he is well-versed in English. He often accompanied overseas tourists to different places. He was found in the area until a couple of weeks back.
The police are probing if this suspect had visited the resort at Varkala where Liga was staying.