Jan. 13: The body of a 40-year-old-woman from Jalpaiguri in Bengal, who went missing from Old Delhi-bound Brahmaputra Mail on January 11, was recovered today from a mango orchard under Kahalgaon police station in Bhagalpur, around 260km east off Patna.

The victim, on her way to New Delhi, went missing between Vikramshila and Kahalgaon railway stations in Bhagalpur district. Her semi-nude body was hanging from a tree.

The woman had boarded Brahmaputra Mail from New Jalpaiguri station on January 11 with her son and three other relatives. She was travelling on the same train from which a Darjeeling woman had jumped off on January 3 to evade rape. (See Page 4)

Kahalgaon additional superintendent of police (ASP) Meenu Kumari said no external injury had been found on the body of the woman recovered from the mango orchard. She said the body had been sent to the local hospital for post-mortem examination.

Bhagalpur superintendent of police K.S. Anupam said the post-mortem would be conducted under the supervision of a medical board. “Instruction has been given to the station house officer concerned to conduct the post-mortem examination only after the arrival of the victim’s kin, who are expected to arrive at Bhagalpur tomorrow,” she added.

Kahalgaon police station house officer (SHO) B.P. Singh said a team of cops visited Masakpur village after receiving information from Munna Paswan, a guard, about the body of the woman hanging from a tree in the mango orchard. It was later identified as that of the missing woman, a resident of Hathipota forest area in Jalpaiguri district of Bengal, he said.

The SHO said Devendra, a relative of the deceased, said the woman went missing when the train slowed down between Shivnagar and Kahalgaon stations because of the ongoing maintenance work on the railway tracks. There was a huge rush in the general compartment in which he was travelling with his wife Mamta Devi, the victim and her son, and another relative.

Devendra tried to locate her but the train accelerated. When the train reached Kahalgaon, he informed the Government Railway Police (GRP) about his relative going missing. Subsequently a missing complaint was lodged.

“The matter was later referred to Kahalgaon police station for investigation on the directive of senior police officials,” the SHO told The Telegraph over phone from Kahalgaon.

Devendra reached Kahalgaon police station today after learning about the recovery of the body of a middle-aged woman. Later, he identified it as that of his relative.

Devendra reportedly told the police that the woman was mentally unsound and might have jumped off the train.

Jamalpur superintendent of rail police Amitabh Kumar Das said a complaint had been lodged with Kahalgaon police station in connection with the incident.