Tirupati: Policein Chittoor are working to unravel the chilling case of four bodies discovered in the Panapakam forest, which investigators believe is connected to a missing family complaint filed in Tamil Nadu two months earlier.

The disturbing discovery was made a couple of days ago when cattle herders stumbled upon a decomposed male body hanging from a tree inside the reserved forest along the Chandragiri–Pakala border. A woman’s body lay nearby, partly covered with a cloth. What shocked police further was the sight of two freshly dug pits, which on excavation revealed the remains of two children.

At the scene, investigators also found a spade hidden in bushes, broken liquor bottles, scattered belongings and a mobile phone stripped of its SIM card. But it was a crumpled hospital slip that offered the first real clue. The slip carried the name Kalai Selvan, a resident of Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu.

Police soon traced the identity of the deceased man to Kalai Selvan of Puducherry, through call data analysis. Attention then turned to the woman and the two girls found beside him. Preliminary findings suggest they were Jayamalini from Tamil Nadu and her daughters, who had been reported missing in July.

Her husband, Venkatesan, an overseas worker employed in Kuwait, had filed the complaint after returning home to discover his wife and children untraceable. With fresh leads pointing to his possible connection to the case, local police have now detained Venkatesan for questioning.

While investigators are still unravelling the motive and sequence of events, they believe the deaths are closely tied to family circumstances. The mystery of how the four ended up in the secluded forest area remains at the centre of the ongoing probe.