BARIPADA: Morada police is on its toes after recovery of bodies of two women in a bamboo forest in Chitrada area of Mayurbhanj district in a span of four days.
On Monday, the body of an unidentified woman, with the face burnt, was found in the forest which is located a few metres from Chitrada police outpost. Four days back, the injury-ridden body of another woman was recovered from the same forest.
Sources said some locals went to the forest to answer the call of nature in the morning and spotted the partially-burnt body. On being informed, police reached the spot and found the woman’s face disfigured with burn injuries.
Police said it is suspected that the woman, in her mid thirties, was murdered and her face set on fire to conceal her identity before being dumped in the forest. It is believed that she was murdered on Sunday night.
The body was seized and sent to the local hospital for postmortem. IIC of Morada police station Sumeet Soren said a scientific team from Baripada town visited the forest for investigation. Photos of the deceased’s body has been shared with nearby police stations.
“A case has been registered in this connection. We are waiting for the autopsy report to ascertain the exact cause of the woman’s death. Efforts are on to identify the deceased and further investigation is underway,” he added.
On March 14, the body of a 42-year-old woman was found in the same forest. The deceased was identified as Fakali Naik of Tiyansi village under Barkand panchayat. Some tribals who went to the forest to collect dry leaves, spotted her body and informed police.
Prima facie, it appeared that the woman was murdered as police found fatal injuries on her head. IIC Soren said police are investigating the case and the culprits involved in the woman’s murder will be arrested soon.