Yendagandi: The police have on Monday confirmed the identity of a decomposed body that was delivered in a wooden box to a family in West Godavari district. The body, found on December 19, was sent to Mudunuri Rangaraju’s home in Yendagandi village, accompanied by a ransom note demanding over Rs one crore.

Today, the authorities identified the deceased as B Parlayya, a 45-year-old man from Gandhinagar in Kalla mandal. 

“He (Parlayya) used to consume alcohol daily, which led to frequent quarrels with his wife, and they had been living separately for 15 years,” said West Godavari Superintendent of Police Adnan Nayeem Asmi. “Later, Parlayya lived like a tramp, often on the roadside and at temples.”

The identification of Parlayya was made by relatives and neighbors, based on his clothing, while the police are also conducting a DNA test to solidify the identity with documentary evidence.

According to the police, Parlayya had been hired by Sridhar Varma to work in his field, clearing debris and weeds. The victim was last seen with Varma on December 17 when Varma reportedly took him on his bike. Varma has been missing since Parlayya’s body arrived in the wooden box at Raju’s home.

Meanwhile, police have identified the person who handed over the body to an auto driver as Lakshmi. However, the SP mentioned that Raju’s family has not been cooperating with the investigation.

The investigation is ongoing, police said.