JEYPORE: The body of a 22-year-old woman, who went missing from Koraput’s Semiliguda on July 29, was recovered from Gajapathinagaram area in Vizianagaram district of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh on Friday.
Police said the victim, Albina Garada of Tunkhal village in Dasmantpur area, was murdered. Two persons - Mohan Khilla (35) of Kakigaon in Sunabeda and Milan Kuldeep (19) of Gurudwar in Semiliguda - were arrested for allegedly killing Albina and burying her body in Andhra Pradesh.
Mohan, who has two wives, was reportedly having an extra-marital affair with Albina. He is suspected to have killed the woman over a domestic dispute and later buried her body with the help of Milan. Incidentally, Mohan had filed a complaint in Semiliguda police station on August 1 regarding Albina’s disappearance.
During investigation, police found evidence indicating that Albina was murdered. Subsequently, Mohan and Milan were detained and interrogated on Thursday. The questioning reportedly led to crucial clues regarding the disposal of Albina’s body.
Acting on the information provided by the accused, Semiliguda police with the help of Andhra Pradesh cops exhumed Albina’s partially-decomposed body beneath a teak tree near Marupalli village in Gajapathinagaram.
The body and the clothes found on it were identified by Albina’s father. An inquest was conducted in the presence of an executive magistrate, family members and witnesses. The body was subsequently seized for postmortem, while biological samples were preserved for DNA profiling.
Police seized a car which was allegedly used for transporting and disposing of the woman’s body. A pickaxe and a hoe suspected to have been used for digging the burial site were also recovered. Mobile phones of the accused, their clothes and other scientific exhibits were seized for examination.
The accused duo was produced in court and remanded in judicial custody. Police said further investigation is underway.