BHUBANESWAR: Mutilated body of a young woman was found on the roadside of National Highway (NH) 16 near Gangapada, about 25 kms from here on Friday. The head of the woman was badly disfigured. It is suspected that she was hit with a stone. The body was first noticed by locals at around 1 pm after which they alerted the police.
A team of Jatni police arrived and conducted a spot inquiry. Two liquor and a mineral water bottles, glasses and two large pieces of stone with blood stains were found near the body.
The forensic team and dog squad were pressed into service to examine circumstantial evidences. Prima facie it appeared that the woman was stoned to death and she was murdered at the same location where the body was found, the police said.
Police suspect that on Thursday night, the woman was present at the location with at least three persons who could be involved in her murder. While the identity of the deceased is yet to be established, locals said they had not seen her in the area in near past.
Jatni police have registered a murder case in this connection and were examining the CCTV footage of the Gangapada toll gate. “We are trying to determine the identity of deceased and have launched a manhunt to nab the culprits,” DCP Satyabrata Bhoi said.
Incidentally, in December 2015, the body of a 20-year-old woman was found in the same area in Gangapada. Police had arrested the woman’s husband and two of his associates on charges of murder.