Berhampur: A human skeleton was found in an abandoned building in Odisha’s Ganjam district Wednesday, police said.
The skeletal remains were found in an unused house in the premises of the defunct Aska Spinning Mill and have been sent to the forensic department of MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur for DNA profiling, Kotinada police station inspector-in-charge Damodar Bihari said.
It is suspected that the skeleton could be that of 24-year-old grocery shop owner A Shankar Patra of Narsinghpur, who has been missing for nearly one-and-a-half years.
We can confirm whether the skeleton belongs to the missing person only after receiving the DNA report, Bihari said.
Patra went missing on November 29, 2024. His family lodged a missing person report at Kotinada police station December 1 after failing to trace him despite extensive searches.
Family members claimed they identified the remains based on clothing and footwear found near the spot.
Police said they were alerted after information emerged about skeletal remains lying inside an abandoned structure of the defunct spinning mill. Patra’s mother subsequently visited the site and claimed the remains were those of her son.
The missing man’s family has alleged foul play, claiming that some of Patra’s acquaintances may have been involved in his disappearance.
He had gone out after receiving calls from some of his friends, but never returned home. His mobile phone was switched off thereafter, and the explanations given by those who contacted him were not satisfactory, his father, A Laxman Patra, alleged.
The family suspects Patra was killed and his body dumped in the abandoned building.
Police, however, said no formal murder complaint had been lodged earlier.
We have now registered an unnatural death case and started an investigation, Bihari said.