In a chilling crime on the eve of the festive season, the heavily disfigured body of an unidentified young woman was recovered near the Kathajodi riverbank in Kataka on Wednesday evening.
The perpetrators attempted to conceal the victim’s identity through extreme physical brutality before abandoning the scene. Badambadi Police have seized the body and initiated a full-scale homicide investigation.
The incident came to light at approximately 7 PM when local youths heading toward the river via the Jaleswar Gada slope—located along the stretch from Khan Nagar Malachandia Chhak to City College—spotted the bloodied body lying in a bushy area near the riverbank. As word spread, a large crowd assembled at the location, prompting Badambadi police officers to arrive and secure the perimeter.
Preliminary police inspections revealed severe violence aimed at obscuring the victim’s identity. Both eyes had been gouged out, and her face was heavily smashed using heavy stones or bricks. Deep slash wounds, likely inflicted with a sharp weapon, were visible across her throat and below her lower lip. Her hair had also been chopped short into a male-style haircut. Drag marks across the grass and soil suggested the victim was murdered approximately 50 meters away before her body was dragged to the riverbank.
Investigators discovered several items near the crime scene, including an unrolled plastic mat, a cooking wok containing remnants of a non-vegetarian meal, a plate, and a polythene bag. A single left shoe belonging to a woman was also recovered nearby. Based on these items, police suspect a small feast or gathering took place at the site shortly before the murder, which is estimated to have occurred between 5 PM and 6:30 PM.
A forensic scientific team was dispatched to gather evidence from the scene, while a police sniffer dog tracked a scent toward the riverbank before losing the trail. While preliminary circumstances suggest a potential sexual assault attempt before the murder, officials stated that formal confirmation will depend on forensic and medical findings.
The body has been transferred to SCB Medical College and Hospital for a post-mortem examination. Police briefly questioned the local youths who discovered the body, recorded their statements, and released them as efforts continue to ascertain the victim’s identity and track down the culprits.
