Kataka police are investigating the murder of an unidentified young woman whose body was recovered from the Kathajodi riverbank, with officers treating both a possible honour killing and an attack linked to a riverside drinking party as active lines of inquiry.
No relative has come forward more than 24 hours after the body was found. The woman carried distinctive tattoos—an English inscription reading “Abhinash-Gauri” with a butterfly motif between the names on one hand, plus several designs on her feet—and wore thick bangles of a style commonly associated with Banjara communities.
DCP Khilari Rishikesh Dnyandeo has circulated her photograph to police stations and appealed for anyone who recognises her to contact investigators immediately. The post-mortem was completed at SCB Medical College on Thursday, and the body has been preserved in the freezer.
Three teams—including a special squad under the DCP and zone ACP—are working the case. CCTV from commercial establishments between Malachandia Chowk and Debigada shows four or five young men arriving on bikes and scooters around 2 pm on Wednesday, parking on the Ring Road and walking down to the riverbank. Forensic material recovered from the spot is also under examination. Residents describe the location as a secluded, tree-covered stretch that is rarely visited by women outside festival hours and has long functioned as an informal drinking spot. Local people say they have repeatedly complained about the nuisance, yet regular police patrols have been absent.
Investigators note that the picnic arrangement—home-cooked chicken curry, foreign liquor, salad and plastic sheets—points to people from the immediate neighbourhood rather than outsiders travelling a long distance. Initial examination has so far yielded no evidence of sexual assault. Police are therefore examining whether the woman was killed by people known to her, possibly in an honour-related dispute, or whether she was attacked after an attempted assault during the gathering. Banjara groups from Rajasthan have been selling salt along the Ring Road in recent days; the salt-laden trucks that usually park near Malachandia Chowk have not been seen since the incident. The name “Abinash” and the style of clothing and jewellery have strengthened the community’s suspicion, but nothing yet confirms her identity or origin.
The case has revived memories of an unsolved November 2016 murder at the same riverbed near Naraj, in which a woman’s body was dumped after her head was severed. A headless female body was also recovered from Jaleswar Ghat about two months ago after floating in on floodwater.
During a visit to nearby settlements, DCP Dnyandeo and other officers saw a young man flee on spotting the police; he disappeared into the lanes despite a chase. Officers are now checking records of known offenders from those bastis. With no missing-person match yet from Cuttack or neighbouring districts, establishing the victim’s identity remains the priority.
