Raipur, June 24 (IANS) In a chilling crime reminiscent of the infamous Meerut drum murder, a young man’s body was discovered in Raipur’s Indraprastha Colony, within the DD Nagar police station area.

The body had been stuffed inside a suitcase and encased in cement.

“The victim has been identified as Kishor Paikra, aged around 40 years,” a senior police officer told IANS.

The body, believed to be two to three days old, was found with its throat slit and limbs bound. Police say the victim was contorted to fit into the suitcase. The gruesome discovery has sent shockwaves through the locality, where residents reported a foul smell emanating from bushes near a slum, prompting a police search.

“Delhi Police have rounded up two persons, namely Ankit Upadhyay and Shivani Sharma, in connection with the case. Our team has reached Delhi, and they will be brought to Raipur for further interrogation. More details about the victim are yet to be known,” Daulat Ram Porte, Additional Superintendent of Police, told IANS.

According to the official, the body was found inside a chained suitcase, which had been placed in a large tin trunk and abandoned in a deserted patch of land.

“The primary motive behind the crime has not yet been ascertained, but it is not a love triangle,” the officer added.

“Once we interrogate the suspects and investigate further, we will be able to determine the date, time, and motive behind the crime. The body was recovered on Monday evening.”

Forensic experts believe the cement plaster was applied to delay decomposition and suppress odour. Despite this, the stench eventually alerted locals, leading to the discovery.

CCTV (closed-circuit cameras) footage from the area shows two individuals transporting the trunk in an old car. A woman on a scooty was also seen circling the vehicle, raising suspicions of her involvement.

Investigators revealed that the car bore a fake number plate, registered in 2005 in the name of a fake person, indicating a deliberate attempt to mislead the police.

Police have also traced the trunk to a shop in Golbazar’s Petline area. The shopkeeper informed police that a young man and woman purchased the trunk early Monday morning under suspicious circumstances. His description has provided crucial leads.

The case bears eerie similarities to a March incident in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, where a woman and her lover killed her husband, dismembered the body, and sealed it in a cement-filled drum. That case also involved elaborate efforts to conceal the crime.

–IANS

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