Thiruvananthapuram A Mexican student at Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed University for Arts and Culture, Cecile Denise Acosta, who had been reported missing since April 9, was found murdered in Madurai, a temple town in Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu police on Tuesday night detained her 40-year-old boyfriend, Martin Montrique, who is pursuing a post-doctoral course in mathematics at Kalasalingam University in Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu, in connection with the murder.
Kalamandalam authorities said the Tamil Nadu police had informed them of the death of the 36-year-old Cecile who was doing a course in Mohiniyattom, a Kerala dance form, at the university under the Indian Council for Cultural Relationship scholarship.
Kalamandalam vice-chancellor P.N. Suresh said he had sent a university official to Virudhunagar to provide more details on Cecile to the police.
According to the Tamil Nadu police report received by Kalamandalam, Cecile's dismembered and half-burnt body was found in a travel bag in an isolated place on the outskirts of Madurai.
Police said Montrique, who had initially tried to mislead them by lodging a complaint about his missing girlfriend, later admitted to having killed her.
