Upon opening the suitcase, police found the dismembered body of a young man believed to be around 30 years old. The remains had been wrapped in a red plastic sheet, placed inside a sack and then locked inside the trolley bag.
Chennai horror: Body chopped into pieces, stuffed in trolley bag and abandoned at bustling railway station. (Pic: IANS)
What appeared to be a forgotten piece of luggage at one of Chennai’s busiest railway stations turned into a chilling murder mystery on Saturday after police discovered a mutilated body packed inside a suitcase at Perambur Railway Station. The gruesome find stunned commuters and triggered a large-scale manhunt, with authorities forming four dedicated squads to identify the victim and trace those behind the killing.
The suitcase was found near a staircase connected to Platform 4, a busy section of the station that serves suburban train services heading towards Avadi, Tiruvallur and Arakkonam.
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The case surfaced after passengers alerted railway police about a blue trolley bag that had remained unattended for a prolonged period.
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At first, officials suspected the luggage had been accidentally left behind by a traveller. However, when attempts were made to move the suitcase, its unusual weight aroused suspicion.
A closer examination led to a shocking discovery. Upon opening the suitcase, police found the dismembered body of a young man believed to be around 30 years old.
The remains had been wrapped in a red plastic sheet, placed inside a sack and then locked inside the trolley bag.
Police said the victim’s body had been brutally mutilated. The head, hands and legs had been severed, while portions of the limbs had been cut up to the knees.
The identity of the deceased is yet to be established.
Given the brutality of the crime, senior police officers have constituted four separate teams to pursue the case.
Two squads are operating under the supervision of the Pulianthope Deputy Commissioner of Police, while the remaining two are functioning under the Perambur Railway Deputy Superintendent of Police.
The teams have been assigned the task of identifying the victim, reconstructing the sequence of events and locating those responsible for the murder.
Footage collected from surveillance cameras at the station has provided an important clue.
According to police sources, the recordings show two men arriving at the station in an autorickshaw carrying the suitcase. The men allegedly transported the bag to Platform 4, left it there and quickly departed in the same vehicle.
The footage is now being analysed in detail to identify the suspects and trace their movements before and after the incident.
Preliminary findings suggest the victim was not killed at the railway station.
Police believe the murder took place at another location before the body was cut into pieces and transported to Perambur in the suitcase.
Officials said the condition of the remains indicated that the killing may have occurred at least two days before the body was discovered. Signs of decomposition and coagulated blood were noticed during the initial examination.
Search expands beyond station
A sniffer dog named Jhansi was deployed at the scene and followed a scent trail from the platform towards the Perambur Carriage Works railway station area. However, the trail ended without leading police to any suspect.
Authorities are also searching for the victim’s severed head and other missing body parts, which are suspected to have been disposed of separately.
At the same time, police are reviewing missing-person reports filed across Chennai and neighbouring districts in an effort to establish the victim’s identity.
The body has been shifted to Kilpauk Government Medical College Hospital for post-mortem examination.
Police expect forensic findings to provide vital clues about the cause of death, the timeline of the murder and possible methods used to dispose of the body as the investigation gathers momentum.
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