After inconclusive autopsy, police to reconstruct final hours of IPS officer’s mother

Police are preparing a detailed timeline by cross-checking statements of people who had contact with her or access to the house. The statement of domestic help Pyari, who found Indravati lying on a cot around 9am on Sunday, is considered important. Investigators will verify what she saw and the condition of the house and body when she arrived.

Police in Ambedkar Nagar will reconstruct the final hours of 92-year-old Indravati, mother of IPS officer Ashutosh Mishra, after the post-mortem examination failed to establish a definite cause of death and found no external injury marks on her body, officials aware of the probe said.

Investigators are treating the death and disappearance of her jewellery as separate but potentially connected lines of inquiry. (For representation)

Investigators are treating the death and disappearance of her jewellery as separate but potentially connected lines of inquiry. Their immediate focus is to establish when and how Indravati died, who last saw her alive and whether anyone entered her house in Rudha Dhamrua village during the intervening period, officials said.

Police are preparing a detailed timeline by cross-checking statements of people who had contact with her or access to the house. The statement of domestic help Pyari, who found Indravati lying on a cot around 9am on Sunday, is considered important. Investigators will verify what she saw and the condition of the house and body when she arrived.

Police will also examine the sequence involving the victim’s relative Ramesh Chand Mishra, who was informed by Pyari and subsequently called Ashutosh Mishra at 9.49am. The timing of these calls and subsequent information given to police will be checked for any unexplained gaps, officials said.

Missing jewellery under scanner

According to officials, the disappearance of jewellery has emerged as a key circumstantial clue. The family has reported that a gold chain, Tulsi necklace, nose pin, earrings and anklets worn by Indravati were missing.

Investigators will establish when the ornaments were last seen, who knew about them and whether anyone had recently handled them. Photographs, purchase bills and other identifying details may also be examined, while local jewellers could be alerted if investigators suspect an attempt to sell or pledge the ornaments. The house is being examined for signs of forced entry or tampering. Police will also assess whether the absence of disturbance to other belongings is consistent with a burglary, officials said.

Forensic examination crucial

Forensic teams are expected to examine the cot, bedding, clothes and objects around the body for fingerprints, biological material and other trace evidence. Blood reportedly noticed around Indravati’s lips will likely be assessed to determine whether it has any relevance to her death.

The autopsy was conducted by a three-doctor panel with videography. Since it did not conclusively establish the cause of death, the heart and viscera have been preserved for further examination. Officials said histopathological examination of the heart could indicate whether she suffered a cardiac event, while viscera analysis could establish whether any toxic substance or medicine was involved.

Police are also expected to examine Indravati’s mobile phone and call records to identify her last contacts and corroborate the emerging timeline.

Investigators are examining three key questions: when did Indravati die, what caused her death and who removed her jewellery?

Officials said the answers from forensic tests, call records, scene examination and witness statements would determine whether the case points to natural death followed by theft, robbery linked to the death, or another sequence of events.