The city police on Wednesday retrieved the body of a 22-year-old girl from her house in the Badambadi locality under mysterious circumstances. While the body sustained over 60 per cent burn injuries, blood was seen oozing from mouth and nose. The police are yet to ascertain the cause of the death while the girl’s family members ruled out the suicide angle and claimed it as a preplanned murder.
The girl was identified as Pragyan Routray, who was a final year BSc student of the Information Science and Technology (IST) Department of the city-based Ravenshaw University. She was alone at the house in Mahaveer lane when the incident took place as her mother, a school teacher, had gone to school and her father had gone to a nearby temple.
“The girl must have died between 10.30 am and 12 noon as one of her classmate claimed that she was talking to her over phone around 10.30 am and her mother saw the body after returning from school at around 12 noon,” the police said, adding that a scientific team was already on the job while the body was sent for autopsy to ascertain the cause of the death.
While the doors and main gate of the house were found open, family members believed that somebody from outside must have entered the house and tried to take away the body after killing the girl.
A kerosene jar cane was also found near the body, the police said, adding that an adult would not die on the spot with nearly 60 per cent burn injuries.