Kerala cops find headless body, suspect it to be of missing Latvian lady

Thiruvananthapuram: After more than a month of frantic search, the Kerala police have found a headless body of a woman hanging upside from a tree which they suspect to be that of a 33-year-old Latvian national, who went missing from Kovalam on March 14, 2018.

According to an NDTV report, the woman's sister identified the body on Saturday morning. However, the police are waiting for forensic reports for an official confirmation.

"Ilze Skromane, Liga's sister has identified the body this morning. But we still will be going ahead with a DNA test as well as a postmortem report, to confirm the identity," senior police officer Manoj Abraham told NDTV.

Liga Skromane, a resident of Ireland, has been missing from Kerala's Kovalam since March 14, 2018. Her husband Andrew Jordan (42) and her sister Ilze Skormane had been frantically wandering around the streets looking for Liga since she left.

Andrew, holding a poster of his wife's photo had also offered to give a reward of Rs 1 lakh for anyone who gives information about Liga or help find her.

Liga's husband and sister had also appealed Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Foreign Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to help them trace her.

Liga's sister had earlier in March alleged that it took at least five days for the police to act.

Liga, a well-travelled woman with Lativan passport had arrived in Thiruvananthapuram on February 21 for Ayurvedic treatment of post-traumatic depression.

According to reports, she went to a beach in Kovalam, about 40 km from the state capital, on March 14, without informing her sister, who was accompanying her on the trip.

She went missing from the treatment center in Pothencode. Based on the inputs from the rickshaw drivers, it was learnt that she took a ride towards Kovalam beach.