Berhampur: A grim discovery at a defunct spinning mill in Odisha’s Ganjam district may finally provide answers in the 18-month-old disappearance of a local grocery shop owner.
On Tuesday, police recovered a human skeleton from an abandoned building on the premises of Aska Spinning Mill, which the family of 24-year-old A Shankar Patra believes belongs to him.
Patra, a resident of Narsinghpur, was last seen on November 29, 2024, and was reported missing two days later after an exhaustive search by his relatives proved unsuccessful. While the family claims to have identified the remains based on clothing and shoes found at the scene, police are maintaining a more cautious stance.
Kotinada police station IIC Damodar Bihari confirmed that the skeletal remains were transported to the forensic department of MKCG Medical College and Hospital on Wednesday for DNA profiling. “The DNA report will determine whether the skeleton belongs to the missing person,” he said.
Meanwhile, the family has levelled serious allegations against Patra’s acquaintances, claiming that he had gone to meet friends on the day he vanished and never returned. His father, A Laxman Patra, noted that his son’s phone was switched off shortly after that meeting and that his friends’ explanations were inconsistent. Although the family suspects foul play and believes Patra was murdered and his body dumped in the abandoned building, the IIC noted that no formal murder complaint has been filed yet.
A case of unnatural death has been registered as the investigation into the mysterious circumstances continues.
