Charred corpse recovered from mango orchard: Accused arrested in Malda

Malda: Police promptly initiated an investigation and achieved significant progress within 24 hours by identifying the deceased and arresting the prime suspect in the case where the charred body of a woman was found in a mango orchard near the BDO office in Malatipur, Chanchal, Malda, on Friday morning. The arrested was produced in court on Sunday and has been remanded to 10 days of police custody.

The police recovered blood-stained items, including a knife, earrings and a nose pin, near the scene. They also found a bag containing the deceased’s Aadhaar and voter ID cards in a nearby water body. The victim’s father identified her through the recovered documents and the body at the morgue. She was a tribal homemaker from Chanchal, previously married in North Dinajpur but had been staying at her parental home due to marital discord.

CCTV footage from the area proved instrumental in the investigation. The suspect, identified as Abu Taleb, 28 was seen walking with the victim on a local road before the incident. Using mobile tracking, police discovered that Taleb had boarded the Radhikapur Express, attempting to flee to Kolkata. Acting swiftly, Katwa police intercepted him at Nabadwip station on Friday evening and handed him over to Chanchal police. Police are interrogating Taleb to uncover the motive behind the heinous crime. Preliminary findings suggest a possible personal relationship between the suspect and the victim, but the exact cause of the murder remains unclear. Speculations about sexual assault have also surfaced, though no confirmation has been made. A forensic team visited the site on Saturday to collect samples for further investigation. District police authorities have ordered DNA and forensic tests to strengthen the case.

Pradeep Kumar Yadav, Superintendent of Police Malda, said: “The investigation is progressing rapidly and no angle will be overlooked. Nothing more can be said right now.”