CUTTACK: The body of an unidentified woman was found partially buried in the sand bed of Kathajodi river near Brahmani village under Baranga police limits on Thursday.
As per police, the deceased woman likely belongs to the 30-35 age group. The matter came to light after locals found some stray dogs feeding on the partially buried body, and informed police.
As per the eyewitnesses, only the woman’s hands and feet were visible while the rest of her body remained buried in the sand. They said the body had also started to decompose.
After receiving information, senior police officers including DCP Khilari Rishikesh Dnyandeo and Zone-4 ACP Amitabh Mohapatra reached the spot and launched an investigation with the help of scientific team and sniffer dog. The body was retrieved and sent to SCB Medical College and Hospital for postmortem.
While the identity of the woman is yet to be established, questions are being raised as to how she reached such a difficult-to-access stretch of the Kathajodi riverbed. Locals suspect the woman might have been killed by unidentified miscreants and subsequently buried at the remote site to conceal the crime. Some others said the woman might have died of some illness following which her family might have buried her in the spot.
DCP Dnyandeo said an unnatural death case has been registered in Baranga police station in this connection. “Preliminary probe suggests the woman might have died around four to five days back. There is also no external injury on her body. Police are examining all possible angles and efforts are being made to establish the identity of the woman,” he added. Police are verifying CCTV footages of nearby areas and collecting information on missing women in Cuttack UPD and neighbouring police stations, said the DCP.