In a rerun of the Hyderabad veterinary doctor’s murder, a young woman’s charred body was found in a mango orchard in West Bengal’s Malda district on Thursday, raising suspicion that she was raped and killed, a senior police officer said.
The body has suffered severe burns, making it difficult to ascertain the woman’s identity, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Prasanta Debnath said.
Local farmers spotted the body in English Bazar Police Station area in the morning, following which they raised an alarm, the DCP, who visited the site along with Superintendent of Police Alok Rajoria, said.
“Prima facie it seems that the victim is in her early 20s. Her body has several injury marks. We have sent it for postmortem to Malda medical college,” he said, adding that a probe has been initiated in the case.
Sources in the police department said that initial investigations indicated she was raped and strangulated to death and her body set on fire.
A pair of slippers and several matchsticks were found near the body, they said.
