Rourkela: Police recovered a half-burnt body from a forested area near Sector-7/17 square under Sector-15 police limits here Thursday morning.
The identity of the deceased remains unknown. Police found a burnt mobile phone and a yellow slipper lying close to the body.
Given the condition of the body and the surrounding evidence, police suspect it to be a case of murder.
However, the exact cause of death has not yet been determined, and an investigation is underway.
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The body was sent to the government mortuary in Rourkela for post-mortem. A case-16/25 has been registered at Sector-15 police station.
Sources said the body was discovered in the forested area behind a statue of BR Ambedkar in Sector-7/17 Square at around 10 am by a group of firewood collectors while gathering firewood.
They immediately alerted the police. Nearby, police officials also found remnants of burnt items, and some trees showed signs of fire damage, suggesting the blaze may have been intentional.
A forensic team, along with Zone-1 DSP Yogesh Panda and IIC Pratibha Manjari Sahu, visited the scene and conducted a preliminary investigation with assistance from a sniffer dog squad. Panda said the body is likely three days old.
No visible injury marks were found on the body. He added that only the post-mortem report will reveal the cause of death.
PNN
