KENDRAPARA: Groping in the dark for days to establish the identity of the woman who was found brutally murdered in a forest near Kandarapatia village in Odisha, Kendrapara police announced a cash reward for information leading to the identification of the deceased.
The body of the woman, believed to be in her twenties, was recovered from a mangrove forest within Jamboo Marine police limits with her throat slit on June 26. Her four-year-old son with serious head injuries was also found near her body. The injured child is now undergoing treatment in SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack amid tight security as he is the only witness to the chilling crime as of now.
Kendrapara sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Rajiv Lochan Panda said, “Though more than five days have passed, we still don’t have any clue about the woman’s identity. So police have released photographs of the woman and the child for identification. The age of the deceased is between 25 and 30 years. We have appealed to the public to share any available information by calling on the helpline numbers - 9438916264, 9438916469, 9438916264 and 6370759611.”
Though police teams along with forensic experts are probing the case from every angle, the identity of the suspect still remains a mystery. Panda said investigating officers suspect the involvement of an acquaintance who might have killed her under the influence of liquor. The police suspicion is based on the crime scene as liquor bottles, gloves and a blood-stained knife were recovered from the spot.
The footage of CCTVs installed in nearby areas was also scrutinised but nothing concrete came out. Besides, no missing report has been lodged with nearby police stations in the last few days. “The photo of the deceased has been circulated among all police stations in the district and nearby areas. Until we succeed in establishing the identity of the deceased, it would be difficult to carry out further investigation. The woman’s body has been kept in the mortuary for identification,” the SDPO added.