Puri: Police have established the identity of the elderly woman whose body was allegedly found buried under a concrete structure inside a rented house in the Kumbharapada area of Puri city, an official said on Tuesday.
Police have launched a search for her son, Madan Dalei, who is suspected to be linked to the case.
The deceased has been identified as Annapurna Dalei. Investigators are now trying to trace Madan, a native of Parlakhemundi in Gajapati district, and ascertain the circumstances surrounding his mother’s death.
Puri SP Prateek Singh on Tuesday said the investigation was underway and police were collecting information about the deceased by contacting her relatives and visiting places associated with her.
“In the Kumbharapada woman murder case in Puri, our investigation is underway. We have established the identity of the woman and discussed the matter with her relatives. We are visiting various places and gathering information about the woman. Initially, there was no clue about the identity of the deceased, and we are now collecting all available information,” Singh said.
The SP said police were using both human and technical intelligence to trace and arrest the accused.
“We are trying our best and will arrest him soon. We are using technical methods as well as human intelligence and technical intelligence. We are working through all available methods to arrest the accused at the earliest,” he said.
The incident came to light at around 10.30 pm on August 24, when landlord Manorama Sahoo, who lives in another portion of the rented house, alerted police after noticing a foul smell coming from a locked room.
Police searched the premises and allegedly found the woman’s body buried in the kitchen. The body had reportedly been covered with a concrete structure, apparently to conceal it.
Madan has been absconding since the incident, and police have launched a search to trace and arrest him.
Investigators are also probing the exact circumstances of Annapurna’s death and the motive behind the alleged murder.
Police said further details would emerge as the investigation progresses.
