NUAPADA : The wife of a local BJD leader was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Nuapada town on Sunday night.
The deceased was identified as Pooja Panda (32). She was the wife of Harishchandra Panda, a well-known political figure and former district president of the BJD’s youth wing. Pooja was found hanging from a tree outside her residence in Matagudipada area of Nuapada town.
Police sources said the incident came to light at around 9 pm when some residents of Matagudipada spotted a woman hanging from a banyan tree. On being informed, Nuapada Town police rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area. The identity of the deceased was later confirmed as Pooja.
Later, senior police officials including additional SP Ranjit Nayak and Nuapada Town IIC Gangadhar Meher arrived at the scene to oversee investigation. The body was brought down and seized for postmortem.
On Monday morning, a forensic team from Bhawanipatna reached the site and launched an investigation. The postmortem was conducted at the district headquarters hospital later in the day.
Police suspect that Pooja died by suicide using her scarf to hang herself. However, the circumstances leading to her death are yet to be ascertained. While the exact cause of death remains unclear, some neighbours claimed that the couple was experiencing strained relations for some time. However, these assertions are yet to be verified, and police are examining all possible angles.
IIC Meher said, “The nature of death will be ascertained after the autopsy report arrives. We have already launched an investigation and family members of the deceased will be questioned soon.”