Umerkote: Police on Sunday arrested a couple in connection with the alleged murder of a 21-year-old woman, whose 31 dismembered body parts were exhumed from a forest near Murumdihi village under Gona panchayat in Odisha’s Nabarangpur district.
The accused have been identified as Chandra Rout (27) and his wife of Muramdihi village under Raighar police limits in the district.
The victim, identified as Tilabati Gond of Baghbeda village, went missing on November 22. When Tilabati did not return home, her father Luduram Gond along with family members launched a frantic search but in vain. Suspecting involvement of Chandra behind her disappearance, they then filed a complaint with Raighar police.
During investigation, police received information about a body being buried in Murumdihi forest near Baghbeda. Blood stains were also found in the forest. Assuming it to be a case of murder, Raighar police with help of a scientific team, dug up the place and recovered the body on Saturday. “The girl’s father Luduram Gond had lodged a missing complaint. On the basis of his complaint, we launched an investigation and exhumed the body,” said Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Aditya Sen.
Sources attributed the murder to a dispute stemming from an affair between Tilabati and Chandra. Locals had also reported that she had last met Chandra on Wednesday. Tilabati reportedly insisted on marriage when she last met Chandra, who along with his wife then allegedly hatched a plan to eliminate her. “Chandra and his wife killed Tilabati on Thursday night. The girl was in love with Chandra and always insisted him to accept her as his wife. Since the man was married, he started ignoring her request. On the fateful day, she came to Chandra’s house and insisted on staying with him. The couple, in a bid to get rid of her, killed her and chopped off her body into pieces for easy dumping,” a villager told the media.
Raighar police have registered a case under Sections 302 and 201 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and further investigation is underway.
