BHAWANIPATNA: Five days after they went missing, a minor girl and a 21-year-old youth – their hands tied behind their back and bloodstains all over their bodies - were found hanging from a tree in a forested area near Behera under Koksara police limits in Kalahandi district on Thursday morning.
Their respective families had lodged missing persons reports on October 17 after the two became untraceable. Kalahandi police said efforts had been made to trace the two, but they remained untraceable. On Thursday, some villagers who had gone into the forest to collect firewood spotted the bodies.
Prima facie, the incident appeared to be a planned murder. Police have not ruled out honour killing as a possible motive but have been guarded in their response. The missing persons cases have been converted into an unnatural death case.
According to preliminary information, the youth, identified as Ajit Kumar Naik, was a resident of Tendapali village under Koksara police limits. The girl, aged around 17, belonged to Kendumudipada in Dharamgarh town.
The two went missing on the night of October 17, during the Durga Puja festivities. Their families subsequently lodged missing persons reports at Koksara and Dharamgarh police stations. The two places are around 25 km apart.
After news of the discovery spread, a crowd gathered at the spot. Family members later arrived to identify the bodies, which were in a decomposed state.
The bloodstains and the victims’ hands being tied behind their backs have raised suspicions of murder, with the bodies allegedly being hung from the tree to make the deaths appear to be suicide, police sources said. Allegations of a premeditated killing have triggered tension in the area.
Dharamgarh SDPO Varshitha Addapu said the bodies had been sent for postmortem examination and Koksara police had registered a case of unnatural death. “We are investigating all angles. More details can be ascertained after the postmortem report is available,” she added.
Koksara IIC Dambarudhar Batria said, after missing persons reports were lodged, police had made enquiries about the two in the area.
