JAGATSINGHPUR: A day after the half-naked body of a 24-year-old woman was found near Jogadhari village, Jagatsinghpur police on Wednesday detained the woman’s boyfriend on charges of murdering her.
Refusing to reveal the identity of the suspect, police said the detained man killed Sasmita Das of Kathiapada village and dumped her body near Jogadhari. Sasmita’s partially-naked body with multiple injuries was found in a farmland on Tuesday evening. She had gone missing on Monday evening, a day after her engagement on April 19.
Police said the suspect, a resident of Tarikunda village, may have killed the woman either out of revenge over her engagement to someone else or to cover up a financial dispute. Investigators are probing allegations that the two had posed as husband and wife to secure an illegal loan of Rs 10 lakh.
Sources said Sasmita’s engagement ceremony was held at her uncle’s house in Dhuanapari under Tirtol police limits on April 19. The groom is reportedly from Bhadrak district, and the wedding was scheduled for May 10. The suspect, who works with a private company in Jamshedpur, was also present at her engagement ceremony.
After the engagement, Sasmita returned home with the suspect, who reportedly said he would leave for Jamshedpur after dropping her. Notably, the relationship between the two was reportedly known to her family. It is alleged that the suspect had constructed a house in her name in Kathiapada. Besides, the duo had reportedly performed a symbolic marriage by exchanging garlands, which was later used to obtain the loan.
Jagatsinghpur SP Ankit Verma confirmed that the deceased woman’s estranged boyfriend has been detained and is being questioned.
He added that further investigation is underway and more details are expected to emerge soon.