BHADRAK : The body of a woman, who was buried 10 days back, reportedly went missing from her grave in Bhandaripokhari area here on Thursday. The shocking incident took place in Maninathpur village within Bhandaripokhari police limits.
Sources said the woman, 52-year-old Rukmani Samal, had died due to heart attack 10 days back. Family members performed her last rites and she was buried in the village graveyard as per traditional customs. In her community, funeral rituals extend over a period of 12 to 13 days, with a specific ceremony conducted on the 10th day at the burial site.
On the day, Rukmani’s son Tapas Samal accompanied by family and villagers visited her grave for the 10th-day ritual. However, they were shocked to find the grave dug up and the body missing.
Rukmani’s husband Srimanta Samal confirmed that the grave was tampered with and his wife’s corpse was no longer there. Clothes of the deceased woman, footprints and other signs of desecration were found at the site.
Villagers said this is not the first time such an incident occurred in the area. Last year, three bodies - those of Akshay Behera, Dinabandhu Nath and Srikanta Beuria - also went missing from the same graveyard in Maninathpur. Children playing near the burial ground noticed that the graves had been disturbed, and it was later confirmed that the bodies were missing.
Villager Biswambar Rout said though FIRs were lodged and police carried out investigation last year, no conclusive results could be found. Locals suspect that the disappearance of bodies from the graveyard could possibly be linked to illegal medical research or body trade. An organised racket might be involved in supplying corpses to private medical colleges, they alleged.
On being informed, local police rushed to the village and started investigation. IIC of Bhandaripokhari police station Mahaprasad Nayak said a detailed probe is underway to find out the reason behind disappearance of bodies from the graveyard.