Bengaluru: Skeleton found in building under construction

The residents of Kothanur, northeast Bengaluru, were in for a shock on Saturday when the skeletal remains of a human body were found on the fourth floor of the Samruddhi apartments, a long-abandoned construction site located directly opposite a private engineering college.

The body, reduced to a skeleton and found in a small, filthy space, was first spotted on Friday evening by a labourer as construction work, which had been stalled for over 10 years, recently resumed.

When DH visited the spot on Saturday, a team from the Scene of Crime Officers (SOCO) were at the spot to conduct a preliminary examination. “After preliminary observation, the body seems to be of a man aged between 30 and 40 years. Crucially, there are no visible injuries to the body,” a SOCO officer confirmed to DH. “We suspect it is a natural death, and the body had been lying in that under-construction building for over two years,” he added.

According to a police officer close to the investigation, the deceased was found in a sleeping position, dressed in jeans and wearing three to four shirts. “A labourer who went to the first floor of the building on Friday evening was the first to see the body. He rushed down immediately and informed me,” the construction supervisor told DH. “I also went and verified the presence of a dead body, which was lying in a small space. It had already decomposed. I then informed the police.”

The news of the body brought a man from Anagalapura to the spot, fearing the skeleton might be his missing 63-year-old father. The police officer confirmed that “The SOCO team has visited the spot and taken the body. After their report comes, we will proceed with the investigation. Given the decomposed state, the police told the man from Anagalapura that there would be a requirement for a DNA test to confirm the identity.”