Thiruvananthapuram | The charred dead body of a 50-year-old woman has been found in a vacant site at Kaimanam here, police said on Friday.

The body was spotted late Thursday night, and local people informed the police after they heard a scream. On searching the area, the charred body was found, an officer of Karamana police station said.

The woman's cousin identified the body, and an investigation has been launched to determine if it is a murder or a suicide.

The cousin told a TV channel that the deceased was in a relationship with a man who was living in that area. As none of her family accepted the relationship, she was staying at a hostel.

He suspected that there was something mysterious about her death and said it could not be a suicide.

"Let the police investigate and find it out," he said.

The police said they will send the body for a postmortem once the inquest proceedings are over.