Bhopal, Feb 12 (IANS) Police on Thursday recovered the decomposed body of an unidentified woman packed inside a tin box from a septic tank in a residential colony under the Nishatpura police station limits in Bhopal.

The incident came to light after the Nishatpura police received information in the evening that a box was seen floating in the water inside a septic tank. A police team reached the spot and, with the assistance of local residents, retrieved the box.

Police said that when the tin box was opened, a decomposed body of a woman was found inside. Preliminary assessment suggests that the body may have been dumped in the septic tank three to four days ago. The identity of the deceased had not been established at the time of filing this report.

As local residents were unable to identify the victim, police said it prima facie appeared that the crime might have been committed elsewhere and the body subsequently disposed of in the septic tank. Efforts are under way to ascertain the identity of the woman.

Nishatpura police station in-charge Manoj Patwa said the body has been sent to Hamidia Hospital for post-mortem examination and a case has been registered.

“Investigation will be conducted from all angles, including verification of nearby residents and examination of CCTV footage in the area,” Patwa said.

The septic tank is located in Housing Board Colony, a densely populated locality in the city. Police sources said that Irani Dera, an area known for criminal activities, is situated nearby.

Notably, Bhopal police had conducted a large-scale search operation in the Nishatpura area, particularly in Irani Dera, on Tuesday night, during which more than 40 persons, including women, were detained in connection with various criminal cases registered in different states.

More than 400 police personnel, including nine Assistant Commissioners of Police (ACPs), were involved in the midnight operation.

Further investigation in the present case is under way.

–IANS

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