Pipli: Pipli police Thursday recovered the hanging bodies of a couple near Routapada here.
The deceased were identified as Laba Prusti ,26, of Durgadaspur and Soudamini Behera ,24, of Routapada village.
According to sources, Laba and Soudamini were in a relationship for the last couple of years. They had opted for a registered marriage after the consent from their families.
A few locals spotted the bodies of Laba and Soudamini hanging from a tree with ropes near a canal in the morning. Police and a scientific team reached the spot and recovered the bodies. Police have seized a cycle, some food stuff, a plastic bag and a towel from the spot.
Meanwhile, family members of the couple rejected the suicide angle and dubbed it a pre-planned murder. “We have seized the bodies and sent them for post-mortem. Prima facie, we suspect it as a case of suicide,” said Pipli police in-charge Sarat Kumar Sahu.
