Kochi : Thrissur police registered a case of unnatural death after traces of methyl alcohol were found in the body of versatile Malayalam actor Kalabhavan Mani, who died Sunday evening at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences. Following a postmortem, Mani was cremated with full state honours at his hometown Chalakudy, where tearful fans from across Kerala, fellow artistes and family members bid him farewell.

Police sources said Mani was suffering from an advanced stage of liver cirrhosis but added the cause of death could be ascertained only from an examination of viscera and internal organs.

The actor of 200-odd films had been living at an outhouse on his farm at Chalakudy for the last few weeks. “He used to drink heavily. On Friday night, Mani drank with friends,’’ a police source said.

Police said they questioned five friends who had reportedly been with Mani hours before he was found unconscious at the outhouse.

“They all mentioned a drinking party but could not explain the presence of methyl alcohol in his blood. Excise officials searched the outhouse to check if they had used spurious liquor,’’ a police source said.