News Desk

Police have recovered the body of a Bangladeshi national from near a lake in the Indian state of Karnataka.

Following an initial investigation, police claim she was raped and then murdered.

The body of the 28-year-old woman was found near Kalkere Lake in Ramamurthy on Friday, police said, according to Indian media reports.

Her body was found in a deserted area by locals who alerted the police, reports Hindustan Times. Police then went and recovered the body.

The victim was identified by a single name as Najma, who worked as a housemaid, was married to a municipal garbage cleaner, and had three children, according to The Times of India.

Police believe Najma was on her way home when she was attacked.

Her body was found a kilometre away from the apartment building where she worked.

Police are gathering CC camera footage from nearby buildings to investigate the incident.

A police official said, “Our initial investigation suggests that the woman was sexually assaulted before her murder. The incident may have occurred sometime between Thursday evening and the night.”

The body has been sent to a hospital in Virgonagar for autopsy.

A police official told the Hindustan Times that the victim had been living in the town for six years. Though she did not have any legal documentation, her husband had a valid passport and had come to India on a medical visa.

“On Thursday, the woman reportedly told her co-worker that she had some personal work and might be late, asking the co-worker to leave without her. However, when she didn’t return home her husband filed a missing person complaint at the Ramamurthy Nagar police station on Thursday.”

“It appears she went to a secluded area willingly, possibly to meet someone she knew. On Friday morning, her body was found with severe head injuries caused by a boulder. An altercation might have occurred, leading to her murder. We have registered a case under BNS Section 63 [rape] and 103 [murder] and are awaiting the autopsy report,” the officer said.

Devaraj, deputy commissioner of police of the Eastern Division, visited the crime scene, accompanied by a forensics team and a dog squad, Hindustan Times reported.

“We received a call on 112 this morning, reporting a woman’s body in a deserted area near Kalkere Lake. Preliminary investigation revealed that she was raped and then murdered. This was a heinous crime,” he said, stating that an investigation had been launched.