Police recovered parts of a human skeleton from a wetland in East Burdwan's Kalna on Sunday evening, triggering claims that they might belong to a youth who had been missing for the past three months.
However, the police said the identity of the person could be confirmed after a DNA test.
"We have recovered a few parts of a human skeleton from a village in Kalna. We have sent them for osteological age estimation. If we receive any official claim regarding the body, we will send it for DNA testing," said East Burdwan police superintendent Sayak Das.
Arjun Ghosh, a resident of the Rajbanshi Para area in Satgachhia gram panchayat in Kalna, first discovered the human ribcage in a wetland while working for agricultural purposes. Later, he found a skull and a part of a leg a few meters away. He also noticed a bicycle partly buried in the slushy mud.
"At first, I had thought the ribcage belonged to an animal, like a dog. But when I discovered the skull and particularly the bicycle, I immediately informed the local panchayat member," said Ghosh.
The police collected all possible parts of the skeleton and sent them to Burdwan Medical College and Hospital for further investigation.
Several residents claimed the remains might be of a youth who had been missing since July.
"We have received verbal claims from a few villagers. If we receive an official complaint, we will collect a DNA sample from the family members and verify whether there is a match," said a senior police officer.