Four skeletons, nine skulls found in sand dumped in Vizag

Four skeletons and nine skulls were found in sand dumped near Sheela Nagar Junction in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday, triggering a scare in the city.

The remains were discovered at a site where construction work on the Sheela Nagar–Sabbavaram road is under way. On receiving information, personnel from the Gajuwaka police station rushed to the spot and inspected the sand heaps.

Following instructions from Commissioner of Police Shankabratha Bagchi, the police formed four teams to examine CCTV footage and trace the source of the sand.

Preliminary investigation, even so, revealed that the remains were suspected to have apparently been brought along with the sand excavated from a burial ground at Burma Colony in Kancharapalem.

Gajuwaka police station Inspector Vasu Naidu remarked that the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) undertakes restoration and related works at the burial ground once every 10 years, during which the old sand and other material are removed

“Five vehicles were used to transport the excavated sand. One of the vehicles dumped the sand at the Sheela Nagar site. We verified the CCTV footage and also personally inspected the burial ground at Burma Colony,” Mr. Vasu Naidu said.

The police stated that the open nature of the site near Sheela Nagar Junction had made it vulnerable to the dumping of construction debris and other waste by residents.

The police have registered a case and investigation is under way.