Liga Skromane’s life ended tragically during what should have been a journey focused on tranquillity, meditation and respite from post-traumatic depression.
The 33-year-old, who resided in Dublin, Ireland, travelled to Kerala in India with plans to attend a yoga retreat, but her remains were discovered weeks later in a mangrove swamp.
She disappeared eight years ago this month, and her body was found on 20 April 2018 in a marshy section of Thiruvallam frequented by tourists.
Local authorities stated they believed Liga’s body had been suspended from a tree following her death. Her head was discovered separated from her torso.
Two men, one of which was a tourist guide, were eventually convicted of raping and murdering Liga after enticing her with cannabis before administering heavy sedatives.
They were identified only as Umesh, 32, and Udayakumar, 28.
In 2022, the pair were convicted of the horrific crime and handed life sentences.
The men will stay behind bars “until the end of their biological life.”
Police reported the accused had confessed to the offence, though they entered not guilty pleas in court.
Liga had journeyed with her sister for treatment at a traditional Ayurveda healing centre.
Her family campaigned for years to obtain justice and the crime triggered enormous public anger in India, compelling the government to implement stricter anti-rape legislation, including capital punishment in certain instances.
However, by 2026, activists argue that dreadful cases of gang rape are still all too prevalent, including the launch of the AbKoiBahanaNahi Campaign to eradicate Gender-Based Violence.
Liga’s heartbreaking tale was revisited in the Bearing Witness podcast titled ‘Seeking Solace, Finding Tragedy’.
The podcast “scrutinises systemic failures in Kerala’s law‐enforcement response to missing foreign tourists, [and] exposes bureaucratic delays that cost critical rescue hours.”