Police have launched a probe into how the body reached there and the circumstances leading to the death, officials said. The blood-soaked body of an unidentified man was found stuffed inside a wooden box and dumped in a minor irrigation canal near Bhavakheda village along the highway in Mohanlalganj on Wednesday.
The discovery also led to a jurisdiction dispute between police teams from Mohanlalganj and Nigohan. The issue was resolved after a lekhpal was called to the spot and conducted a measurement to establish that the spot fell under Mohanlalganj police station’s jurisdiction. The exact circumstances of the death, however, are yet to be established. The body was discovered after local residents noticed a wooden box lying in the canal and became suspicious. On checking, they found the body inside and alerted police. A police team reached the spot and recovered the body from the box. Police then began efforts to establish the identity of the deceased by showing his details to people in nearby areas. Forensic experts examined the spot for clues, while police also checked CCTV footage from cameras installed along nearby routes to trace how the box was transported and identify those who may have dumped it.
The deceased appeared to be around 32-34 years old and the body was likely two to three days old, according to police.
The exact cause of death will be known only after the post-mortem examination, police said, adding that investigators were also awaiting identification of the deceased, which could help establish his movements and the circumstances preceding his death. Police said further action would depend on the autopsy findings, identification of the deceased, CCTV footage and evidence gathered during the forensic examination. Investigators suspect it was brought to the area late on Tuesday night and dumped in the canal.
