In what has raised alarm among Bengalureans and the Karnataka police, the body of a woman, approximately 30 years of age, was found in a blue drum at the entry gate of Sir M Visvesvaraiah Terminal (SMVT) Railway Station on Monday, 13 March.
What happened? On Monday, a lidded blue drum giving off a foul smell was found inside the railway station. The deceased woman's body was found when the drum was opened around 7 pm.
The alarm: This is the third such case in three months where bodies of women of the same age group were found on railway properties.
Two months ago, on 4 January, the decomposed body of a woman, around 30 years of age, was found in a plastic drum on at Yesvantpur Railway Station. A month before, on 6 December, the body of another similar-aged woman was found inside a yellow sack in one of the unreserved coaches of Bangarapet-SMVT, Baiyappanahalli MEMU Special.
What has the police said? Railways Superintendent of Police (SP) Soumyalatha SK, told The Quint, "It is too early to connect the three cases. The only similarity between the body found at SMVT and Yesvantpur Railway Station is that they were disposed off in a drum."
Bodies of the other two women have not been identified yet, despite police taking all efforts. "The main reason is that the bodies were too decomposed. Regardless, the police visited the originiating train stations and went to several villages to see if the case matches with any missing complaints," SP Soumyalatha told The Quint.
Any signs of sexual assault? On being asked about the post-mortem reports, a police officer said, "There were no signs in the previous two cases. However, the post-mortem for the body found at SMVT railway station is going on and would be too early to comment."
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