17-year-old student found dead with burns in Kerala

A 17-year-old Plus-Two student was found dead with severe burns in a secluded area near her home in Palakkad, the police said on Thursday.

The deceased has been identified as Gopika, a student of Kollangode BSS Higher Secondary School. She had left home in the morning to attend school, but did not return. Her mother, Sheeba, went searching for her after she failed to return from school and discovered Gopika’s



charred body around 6 pm on Wednesday on a hillock at about half a km from their home.

Alarmed by Sheeba’s screams upon discovering her daughter’s body, locals alerted Panchayat member B Manikandan, who then informed the police. Preliminary investigation suggested that Gopika died by suicide, according to a local media report quoting the police. She often spent time at the hillock on her return from school.