Kollam: The Sakthikulangara police have arrested a young man for allegedly murdering a 55-year-old man who collected tolls at a toilet block at the Sakthikulangara port in Kerala's Kollam district, and dumping his body in a septic tank, The Hindu reported. Manorama News also reported the arrest of the accused in the case.

The victim, Nizar, a native of Kottukad, Chavara, had been reported missing since August 6, 2026. The case came to light on September 30, when workers cleaning a septic tank at the port found decomposed remains hidden in a mat. Port officials alerted the Sakthikulangara police, and an autopsy at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital confirmed the death was a homicide, the report said. Relatives identified the remains from clothing and items found with them, and blood samples from relatives have been sent for DNA profiling to scientifically verify the identity.

According to the police account reported by The Hindu, investigators examined CCTV footage from the port and spoke to shopkeepers, room tenants and port workers. They found that Shyam Jith, alias Jithu, a native of Kottiyam who had worked at the port under a toilet-block contractor for about two-and-a-half years, had suddenly quit his job on August 24. A police team led by Kollam West Inspector Vipin took him into custody, and police say he allegedly confessed during interrogation, allegedly telling them a dispute began after Nizar verbally abused him inside the toilet block, after which he allegedly beat Nizar and hit him on the head, killing him, and threw the body into the septic tank. These are police allegations and have not been tested in court. The arrest was made by a special police team under the supervision of Kollam ACP Shaji and Inspector Vipin, including Sakthikulangara SHO Aneesh Kumar, the report said.

Sources: The Hindu (October 20, 2026); Manorama News (October 20, 2026).