Woman's half-burnt body found inside box on highway in Uttar Pradesh

The possibility of rape before murder cannot be ruled out just yet, police said.

The half-burnt body of a woman was found inside a tin box here on Saturday evening, police said.

The possibility of rape before murder cannot be ruled out just yet, they said.

Information was received that the smell of something burning was emanating from a box lying near the Lala Nagar toll plaza on National Highway 19. Police reached the spot and found the half-burnt body of a woman inside, police said.

Bhadohi Superintendent of Police (SP) Meenakshi Katyayan, who visited the spot, said the woman is aged around 20 and was wearing a white suit.

There is a possibility that some untoward incident happened with her before the murder and the body was burnt from the face to the waist using petrol so that she could not be identified, she said.

The legs of the woman seem to have been tied with a rope. A forensic team and a dog squad reached the spot to collect evidence and the body is being sent for post-mortem examination. Efforts are being made to identify the woman, Katyayan said.

The possibility of rape before murder cannot be ruled out. All possible angles are being probed, she said.