Two havildars of the Kerala Armed Police (KAP) Second Battalion camp at Muttikkulangara near here were found dead on a paddy field behind the camp on Thursday. Their bodies bore signs of burns apparently due to electrocution.
Two persons were reportedly taken into custody in connection with the death of Ashok Kumar (35) from Elavanchery, and Mohan Das (36) from Athipotta, Kavassery. Both the policemen had been missing from the camp since Wednesday night.
Both of them were living with their families in the camp. The police said they had not been on duty when they went missing.
Their bodies were found on the field on Thursday morning during a search by a police team from the camp. The police suspect that they were electrocuted from an electric fence installed by a farmer to trap wild boars. But the exact cause of the deaths could be established only after the post-mortem examination, the police said.
However, it remained a mystery how and why Ashok and Mohan escaped from the police camp and reached the paddy field. It was suspected that the duo had gone fishing at night without taking permission from the camp authorities. However, it was not clear how they managed to jump the high wall behind the camp.
Their bodies were found on two separate fields at a distance of 100 metres from each other. The police also suspect that the bodies were carried and dumped there after they were electrocuted.
Their umbrellas were recovered from a different spot. One of the policemen had lost his mobile phone. A 12-member police team is investigating the case with the support of the dog squad and forest experts.
The bodies were later brought to the KAP camp where their colleagues paid them their last respects. Ashok is survived by his wife S. Sini, an assistant commandant at the camp, and a daughter. Mohan is survived by his wife Shimsa and a daughter.
