Charred body of a woman recovered; rape & murder suspected

Kandhamal: In a bizarre incident, the half-burnt body of a woman was recovered from her house in Batingia village under G Udayagiri police limits of the district on Wednesday.

According to sources, the deceased woman, identified as Haseena Pradhan was staying alone in the house and her husband reportedly works in Tamil Nadu.

Soon after locals detected smoke billowing out of the house, they informed the police who rushed to the spot and found the body. They have begun investigation into the incident.

After preliminary investigation, however, police suspect the woman was raped and then murdered. “We suspect someone has raped her and to cover up as an accident, the body was burnt. Every angle is being probed,” said a police official.