Chatra: The bodies of a young couple, who were missing since Feb 27, were found hanging in a forest near Lilajan river in Lamta panchayat, under the jurisdiction of Lawalong police station, early on Tuesday (March 3).The deceased were identified as Sanju Kumari (22), a resident of Tikar village, and Ranjan Kumar Das (25), of Pandey Mahua village. The family members of the deceased said the two were in a relationship, and were supposed to get married next month.According to the police, the duo left their respective homes on Feb 27, but did not return until late evening. Despite extensive searches by their families, their whereabouts remained unknown, and a missing complaint was lodged at Sadar police station by the woman’s family.The bodies were found after cattle grazers sensed a strong foul smell emanating from the forest and alerted villagers. Police rushed to the spot and recovered the bodies hanging from a tree. During a search of the area, the police recovered four packets of sulphur tablets, a bottle of soft drink, and Ranjan’s motorcycle about 100 metres away from the spot. The bike was found with its handle locked.The bodies were later sent to Sadar Hospital for post-mortem and handed over to the families.The officer-in-charge (OC) of Lawalong police station, Prashant Kumar Mishra, said the exact cause of death would be ascertained only after autopsy. However, family members alleged foul play and demanded a fair investigation into the matter, claiming the couple was murdered and their bodies were later hung to make it appear as suicide.
