He was strangled before his body was concealed in a sack and left in the secluded plot.

Thiruvananthapuram:

A 17-year-old left his home on Sunday afternoon, telling his family he had received a call from his friend. A day later, his body was found in an abandoned plot, bundled in a sack.

The incident was reported from Thiruvananthapuram, with the victim being identified as 17-year-old Abhiram.

Police have detained two teenage boys, aged 17 and 19, in connection with the murder and are questioning them to establish their roles in the crime.

According to police, Abhiram was lured through an Instagram message, asking him to come to Pangappara, from where his body was recovered. They suspect that the motive for the murder was a dispute related to Abhiram's friendship with a girl.

According to the preliminary police account, he was strangled before his body was concealed in a sack and left in the secluded plot.

The victim's father said his son left home around 3 pm on November 1, saying a friend had called him. When the family contacted him later that evening, he said he would return soon. However, when he did not return for several hours, his family called him again and found his phone was switched off.

The family approached the Sreekaryam police after Abhiram failed to return home late into the night.

The missing-person investigation led police to examine his recent calls and Instagram communication. Preliminary information suggests he was persuaded to come to Pangappara through an Instagram account. Investigators are examining who operated the account and contacted him.

Investigators are questioning the teenagers in custody to determine who was present and whether anyone helped conceal the body. A police team led by the Kazhakkoottam Assistant Commissioner reached the spot.