Kochi | The Kerala police have launched a comprehensive probe into the mysterious death of a 19-year-old woman, whose decomposed body was found near her home after she went missing last week in Malayattoor near here.

A college student in Bengaluru, Chithrapriya, went missing from her home on Saturday evening.

Her body was discovered in a deserted field about one kilometre from her residence on Tuesday, police said.

A senior police officer said several suspected persons, including the boyfriend of the woman, were taken into custody for interrogation.

Inquest procedures have been completed, and the post-mortem will begin soon, he said.

"First and foremost thing is to identify the body and confirm that it was that of the missing woman. The body was in a decomposed state, and we assumed that it might be her based on the dress," a police officer said.

The cause of death has to be ascertained to confirm whether it is a murder, and that would be revealed through the post-mortem, he added.

A case of unnatural death has been registered.

Earlier, an FIR was registered at Kalady police station following a complaint by her parents, and an investigation was launched to trace her.

Local media reported that the investigators are examining CCTV visuals in which Chithrapriya was seen pillion-riding on a motorbike on the day she went missing. But, the police have declined to confirm it.