NAGERCOIL: In a shocking incident near Nagercoil, the skeletal remains of a young woman were recovered from a pond near a private nursing college, after being found tied inside a sack and submerged in water.

According to police, local boys who had gone fishing at Malaiyadi Panankulam pond near Ambedkar Nagar, Sungan Kadai, on Friday evening, accidentally hooked a sack with their fishing line and pulled it ashore, assuming it contained fish.

On opening it, they noticed skeletal remains tied with wires inside the sack. Initially mistaking them for animal bones, the boys returned home and informed their families, who later alerted the Eraniel police after realising they were human remains.

Police rushed to the spot and conducted a preliminary inquiry. A chain, nightdress and undergarments recovered from the remains indicated that the deceased was a woman. Investigation revealed that the body had been tied with ropes, placed inside a sack, secured with wires, and weighted down with a broken boundary stone before being dumped into the pond.

Officials also found a hair clip and broken teeth among the remains. The skeletal remains were collected and sent to the Asaripallam Government Medical College Hospital for forensic examination. Police have launched an investigation to identify the victim and ascertain her native place.

They are examining records of missing women in the region and neighbouring areas to establish her identity and determine the circumstances leading to her death.