17-year-old killed in train accident; police accused of cremating body without informing his relatives

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Serious allegations have emerged against the police after the family of a 17-year-old boy, Abhijith from Thekkada, claimed they were not informed about his death in a train accident and that his body was cremated without their knowledge.

According to the family, Abhijith went missing on March 3, and a formal missing person complaint was filed on March 14. However, it later came to light that the teen had died in a train accident at Pettah on March 5. The police allegedly treated the body as unidentified and proceeded with cremation without alerting the family, despite the body being kept at the medical college mortuary.

The incident has sparked outrage and suspicion, with the family now alleging foul play. Abhijith’s father expressed doubts over the official version, stating that the delay in communication and the lack of effort from the police to trace the missing teen raises serious concerns.

“We gave our complaint on March 14, but he had already died on March 5. His body was in the mortuary when we filed the report. No one informed us. We suspect this is more than an accident—possibly murder. On March 3, a boy named Vijay took him away, and he never returned,” the father told media.

The family only learned the truth after Vijay, who had been missing, was brought to the Vattappara police station by his mother. During questioning, Vijay reportedly revealed key details, leading police to show the family a photo of the body, which they identified as Abhijith.

The family has demanded a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the teen’s death and the police's alleged mishandling of the case.