After police reopened a controversial tomb at a church cemetery in Vaniyappara, Kannur, following the discovery of a suspicious object alongside human remains, Kannur Additional Superintendent of Police Chandran A P said on Wednesday that preliminary investigations do not indicate any foul play.
The mystery surfaced on June 13 at the cemetery of Infant Jesus Church, Vaniyappara, when Tomb No 38 was opened for a fresh burial. Inside, people found a coffin and an unidentified object wrapped in a plastic mat. Following the discovery, the tomb was closed again, and the scheduled burial was shifted to another grave. Following the incident, parish vicar Gilbert Konnayil registered a case with the Karikkottakkari police, who then launched a probe.
Police said the initial inquiry found no evidence of foul play and that the body recovered from the tomb is most likely that of the person who was buried there earlier. “The body is most likely that of the person who was buried here in 2006. We have collected samples for further examination. The rest can only be ascertained once the investigation is completed,” the Additional SP told the media.
He added that the probe points to the possibility that the mat found inside the tomb had been buried along with the body.
The police also clarified that the investigation had not revealed anything suspicious and said there was no cause for concern.
The church also stated that only two bodies were present in the grave. “We are now clear that there is no third body. The authorities will continue with further investigations,” said Fr Gilbert, a priest at the church.
He also explained the presence of the mat found in the grave. “The first person buried here was a 95-year-old woman. She was small in stature and was likely wrapped in a mat. We do not have any suspicions regarding this,” he said.
The incident invited controversy after church authorities confirmed that only two burials had previously taken place in Tomb No 38 — Rosaamma, who died in 2006, and James Kumbukkal, who was buried there in 2015. Church members had pointed out that Christian burial practices do not involve wrapping bodies in plastic mats. Relatives of James also stated that he was buried in a coffin after the grave had been cleaned and prepared with sand and a white cloth. According to them, no such additional object was present in the tomb at the time.
Church authorities had suggested that the mystery could be linked to a mix-up in grave numbering following renovation work carried out at the cemetery in 2019. Police are also examining the possibility that the object could be the remains of a body buried after a postmortem examination, as such bodies are sometimes wrapped in mats.
Meanwhile, speculation emerged linking the remains to Sijo, a Kozhikode native who has been missing since 2014. However, his wife, Nikila, earlier said she does not believe the remains could be those of her husband. Sijo’s relatives have demanded a DNA examination.
