ALAPPUZHA (Saturday, March 7, 2026) — Railway Police in Alappuzha have launched an intensive multi-state investigation after cleaning staff discovered severed human body parts lodged beneath a coach of the Alappuzha–Dhanbad Express early Saturday morning. The grim discovery has triggered a case of unnatural death as authorities work to determine how the remains became entangled in the train’s undercarriage.
Details of the Discovery
The body parts were spotted around 6:30 AM while the train was parked at the pit-line yard for routine maintenance and cleaning.
- What was found: A human right arm and a toe (finger of a foot).
- Location: The remains were found resting on an iron bracket positioned directly under the auxiliary reservoir tank of the S-5 coach.
- Train History: The train (No. 13351/13352) had arrived in Alappuzha from Dhanbad, Jharkhand, on Friday evening. It was being prepared for its return journey on Saturday morning when the staff made the discovery.
The Investigation Strategy
The Railway Police have registered an FIR for unnatural death and are focusing on the extensive rail corridor between Kerala and Jharkhand to pinpoint the location of a potential accident.
- Multi-State Coordination: Alappuzha police are reaching out to law enforcement agencies in states along the route—including Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, and West Bengal—to check for reported trackside fatalities or missing persons over the last 48 hours.
- Forensic Analysis: An inquest has been conducted, and the remains have been sent for DNA analysis and autopsy to determine the victim’s gender, age, and the approximate time of death.
- Route Scan: Investigators are scanning railway track data for any reported “cattle hits” or “unknown obstructions” that might actually have been a human collision during the train’s 2,300 km journey.
Previous Incidents in Alappuzha (2025–2026)
This is not the first such incident in the region. Recent history shows a pattern of remains being discovered after being dragged by long-distance trains:
- November 2025: A severed human leg was found on Track No. 2 at Alappuzha station. It was later linked to a victim who had died in a train accident in Kannur, nearly 250 km away.
- August 2025: An infant’s body was found abandoned in a toilet trash bin on the same Alappuzha–Dhanbad Express, leading to a major investigation into passengers of the S-3 and S-4 coaches.
Sources
- Press Trust of India (PTI): “Human body parts found under train coach in Kerala’s Alappuzha” (March 7, 2026)
- The Economic Times: “Human body parts found beneath Alappuzha-Dhanbad Express coach; probe launched” (March 7, 2026)
- Rediff News: “Police Investigate Discovery of Human Remains Under Alappuzha-Dhanbad Express” (March 7, 2026)
- Vartha Bharathi: “Human remains found under S-5 coach in Alappuzha pit-line yard” (March 7, 2026)
- Onmanorama: “Multi-state probe to identify remains found under Dhanbad Express” (March 7, 2026)
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