BERHAMPUR: Skeletal remains of a man missing for the last one year were recovered from the premises of the defunct Aska Spinning Mill in Ganjam district on Wednesday.
Police said the skeleton was found in an abandoned building on the mill premises. It is suspected that the remains could be of 24-year-old A Shankar Patra of Narsinghpur who has been missing for over a year.
Kotinada IIC Damodar Bihari said the skeletal remains have been sent to MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur for DNA profiling. “The DNA report will determine whether the skeleton belongs to the missing person,” he said.
Patra went missing on November 29, 2024. His family lodged a missing person report at Kotinada police station on December 1 after failing to trace him despite extensive searches.
Family members claimed they identified the skeletal remains based on clothing and footwear found near the spot. Alleging foul play, they claimed some of Patra’s acquaintances may have been involved in his disappearance. The family suspects Patra was murdered and his body dumped in the abandoned building.
However, police said said no formal murder complaint had been lodged yet. An unnatural death case has been registered and investigation is underway.
Bodies of woman & 4-year-old son recovered from canal
Earlier on Tuesday, a woman and her four-year-old son were mysteriously found dead in a canal near Kintasahi village under Ramgiri police limits in Gajapati district. Police identified the deceased as Avanti Dal Behera (32) of Kintasahi village and her four-year-old son.
Locals first spotted the bodies floating in the canal and alerted the police. Ramgiri OIC D Gajapati Dora said the exact cause of their death remains unknown. The bodies were in an advanced stage of decomposition, suggesting that they may have been lying in the canal for more than five days.
Police are waiting for the autopsy report to determine the cause of death. Further investigation is on, he added.