Two women were detained after Madhyamgram residents discovered a body stuffed inside a trolley bag that the women were allegedly attempting to discard into the Hooghly River (Ganga) near Kumartuli Ghat in North 24 Parganas district on Tuesday morning.

The deceased has been identified as Sumita Ghosh.

Residents noticed the women’s “suspicious behavior”, forced the bag open and allegedly discovered the body in a saree.

After police were alerted, they began an investigation and detained the women, identified as Falguni Ghosh and her mother, Aarati Ghosh.

A tense situation ensued as a crowd gathered, demanding that the women be handed over to them, alleging that the women had murdered the victim and were attempting to dispose of the body. However, police assured the crowd that a thorough investigation would be conducted.

According to Joint CP Crime Rupesh Kumar, “They were carrying the dead body of one Sumita Ghosh in a trolley bag as per the statement of Falguni Ghosh.”

Further investigation revealed that the two women had arrived at Kumartuli Ghat in a yellow taxi after an earlier alleged stop at Princep Ghat, police said.

Police are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the death and the motive behind the alleged attempt to dispose of the body. The investigation will also focus on the connection between the deceased and the arrested women, and the alleged scene of crime in Madhyamgram.