Kolkata: A homemaker in her early 30s was found brutally murdered at her rented accommodation in Dum Dum on Thursday morning, with several deep stab injuries on her body. Police said the body had been wrapped in a blanket and the CCTV camera installed in front of the victim’s room was smashed to destroy evidence.
A youth, suspected of being involved in an illicit relationship with the victim, has been detained for questioning. The victim’s husband is absconding.
Police suspect that she was hacked with a sharp weapon and then strangled to death.
The deceased, Jaya Dutta Pramanik, lived with her three-year-old son in a rented room at Adya Ma Gali in South Subhasnagar, Dum Dum Cantonment. “She has been living separately from her husband, Sajal Pramanik, an auto-rickshaw driver,” a neighbour said.
Police have registered a murder case and launched a search for her husband, who has gone into hiding since the recovery of his wife’s body.
“Preliminary investigation suggests that the woman was hacked to death over a relationship-related dispute. We are looking for her husband on suspicion of his involvement in the murder,” a senior police officer of the Barrackpore Commissionerate said.
Locals said Jaya used to travel to different areas for work and would leave her son at the home of an acquaintance in Shyambazar. She would bring him back when she returned. “On Wednesday night, acquaintances became concerned after failing to find her for a long time. They went to her rented accommodation on Thursday morning and found her body inside, following which Dum Dum police were informed,” a local woman said.
Locals said a young man used to frequently visit Jaya’s house. Police have detained him for questioning to ascertain the nature of his relationship with the victim. Investigators are also examining whether a possible extra-marital relationship or a dispute connected to it could have led to the murder.
Police are also investigating allegations that the CCTV cameras at the house were damaged after the killing, raising suspicion that someone known to the victim may have been involved.