Bihar migrant worker found dead at Perumbavoor plywood factory; colleague held

A 21-year-old migrant labourer was found dead at a plywood factory on Old Muvattupuzha Road in Perumbavoor on Sunday, in what police are treating as a suspected murder.

The deceased has been identified as Muhammed Jahid, a native of Muzaffarpur in Bihar. A 23-year-old male colleague, also from Muzaffarpur, has been taken into custody by the Perumbavoor police in connection with the case.

According to the police, Jahid was last seen sleeping at the factory in the early hours of Sunday after completing a night shift. His friends went looking for him when he did not return, and he was later found lying between a set of plywood panels and a wall, with injuries on his forehead.

Perumbavoor Inspector Manuraj G.P. said the worker was rushed to the taluk hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.

Investigators suspect that Jahid was fatally attacked by the man in custody over personal enmity. The suspect was taken into custody on the basis of CCTV footage and is being questioned, the police said.

A post-mortem examination is scheduled to be conducted on Monday, they added.