Half-burnt body found in Jharkhand, rape suspected

Villagers suspect that the woman, in her twenties, was raped before being set on fire. Some people who saw the body also claimed that the woman was pregnant.

The half-burnt body of an unidentified woman was found near Tiriltoli village in Khunti district of Jharkhand on Thursday morning.

The half-burnt body of an unidentified woman was found near Tiriltoli village in Khunti district of Jharkhand on Thursday morning. (AP Photo)

Villagers suspect that the woman, in her twenties, was raped before being set on fire. Some people who saw the body also claimed that the woman was pregnant. However, the police said only the postmortem report would confirm the suspicions.

While the body has been sent for autopsy, police said prima facie, it appeared that the woman was killed elsewhere and the body burnt at the spot to destroy evidence. Some villagers spotted the body around 7am and informed the police. Deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Ashish Mahli said, “We sent the body for a postmortem.”

Meanwhile, a man from Ranchi has claimed the body to be that of his wife. He told Khunti police that his wife had been missing since Wednesday evening.