ADILABAD: Ichoda police have begun investigating the death of 48-year-old Jadhav Kavitabai who was found dead in an open well on the outskirts of Thosam village in Gudihathnoor mandal on August 2 while a complaint was formally lodged by the woman’s eldest son in the Gudihathnoor police station on Sunday. According to the complaint, the last rites were performed by the family members and the villagers within four hours of the body being found, and the police were not informed.
The undue speed at which the funeral was performed sparked rumours in the village that the Kavitabai was sacrificed as part of a treasure hunt ritual. The rumours had reached the police on August 5 and the next day, a constable was sent to the village to summon the family members to the police station for questioning.
Asked why they didn’t inform the police about the woman’s death, the family members said that they had no reason to be suspicious. They said that they called a village panchayat and the village elders, including the sarpanch, told them to go ahead with the funeral. However, on August 7, the woman’s eldest son Jadhav Babu lodged a complaint with the police stating that he had doubts about his mother’s death, following which Inspector Ramesh Babu began the investigation.