KOLKATA: The body of a 60-year-old woman was found in the boot of a yellow taxi, which managed to dodged several checkpoints in Kolkata in the early hours of Friday before being stopped by police in the Chowbaga area in the eastern fringes of the city, officials said.
Police identified the body as that of Sujamani Gayen, who was allegedly beaten with sticks and then strangulated to death by her daughter-in-law and three others over a family fight, police said.
Gayen, a resident of the Haridevpur area, used to sell flowers outside the Kalighat temple.
She had a very bitter relationship with her daughter-in-law Sujata, an officer said.
On Thursday, Sujata's mother Malina Mondal and her partner Ajay brought Sujamani to their Pragati Maidan house, he said.
"Then, they gave her food laced with sleeping pills and after that Sujata along with her three family members thrashed and strangulated Sujamani to death," he added.
Police said they have arrested Malina, Ajay, Sujata and her uncle Basu Mondal in connection with the killing.
After killing her, they stuffed the body in a sack along with vegetables, and went out on a taxi to dump it, police said.
The taxi managed to dodge several checkpoints but was spotted by some policemen on patrol duty, they said.
They stopped the taxi in the Chowbaga area near Anandapur off EM Bypass, and asked the driver to open the boot.
The head of the woman was first noticed by one of the policemen among the vegetables in the sack, the officer said.
Ajay, who was in the taxi along with Malina, then tried to flee but was caught, the officer said.
Later, Sujata and her uncle were arrested based on Malina's interrogation, he said.
Police said they are investigating the matter and a case has been registered.