Alappuzha, Kerala: On August 4, Monday, Kerala police recovered more human remains from a 2.5-acre property in Pallippuram, located in Alappuzha’s Cherthala. The recovery was made as part of the wider investigation into the missing cases of several women over the past two decades in the region.

During the search undertaken by the Kottayam unit of the State Crime Branch, officials found at least 20 charred bones from a new spot on the premises, separate from where body parts were first found a week before.

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Officials including forensic experts conducted deep searches across the compound, including ponds and marshland. Along with bones, they found a few clothing items. The fresh probe centers on Sebastian, 68, a real estate broker, who was arrested recently in connection with the disappearance of Jainamma, a woman from Ettumanur who went missing in December 2024.

The remains of a body were first recovered from Sebastian’s property as part of the probe into Jainamma’s case. Notably, Sebastian is also a suspect in the case of Bindu Padmanabhan, 47, a native of Cherthala, and is under investigation for possible involvement in at least three of the four other missing women cases from the region between 2006 and 2025. Officials said that when brought for evidence collection, Sebastian gave contradictory statements. Police have arrested another man in connection with the case.

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After finding remains, the result of the DNA testing will be crucial in establishing the identity of the potential victims.

However, there have been growing suspicions of a possible connection between the Jainamma murder accused Sebastian and the disappearance of another woman, Ayesha, a native of Varanad in Cherthala. Ayesha went missing a few years ago. Following a statement from Ayesha’s friend, Rosamma, that Ayesha had financial dealings with Sebastian, suspicion about Sebastian’s role in Ayesha’s disappearance had increased. Ayesha had reportedly sought help from Sebastian to buy land to build a house.

The skeletal remains recovered from Sebastian’s house in Pallippuram do not match Jainamma, a report by The Hindu said, citing sources.

Sebastian is also under scrutiny in connection with the disappearance of Bindhu Padmanabhan from Kadakarappally, who went missing more than a decade ago.

In 2018, the police launched a probe into a complaint by Bindhu’s brother, Praveen Kumar. The complaint alleged that Bindhu, who owned assets worth crores of rupees, had gone missing under mysterious circumstances, adding that some real estate brokers had taken possession of her assets after forging documents.

Notably, the investigation later revealed that Sebastian and another person, T Mini, had sold assets owned by Bindhu. Mini had reportedly signed the forged documents posing as Bindhu, and then a property owned by Bindhu worth Rs 5 crore was sold to a Changanassery native, who later resold it to another person.

Though Mini surrendered before a local court during the investigation, and the police arrested Sebastian, no major lead has been found in the case. Though Sebastian was released on bail later, the whereabouts of Bidnhu also remain unresolved.

Raising concerns about the safety of women, a total of 78 women and girls are still missing in the state untraced, reports The New Indian Express citing official statistics.