Hazaribagh, Sept. 30: Twenty-four-year-old Dewanti had to pay a heavy price for falling in love the second time. The woman, married to a villager in the Pelawal police station area in the district, was tried by the local panchayat and awarded capital punishment for her extra-marital liaison with a youth from the same village.

The district police today recovered her skeletal remains from deep inside a forest. Sources said to cover up the crime, the “executioners” had poured acid on her body so that the skin and the organs melted quickly and the corpse mutilated beyond recognition.

The skeleton has been sent to Ranchi for forensic test. Officer-in-charge (OC) of Pelawal O.P. Kumar said the test would establish how she was killed.

According to sources, Dewanti, who was married to Mohan Sao of Baish village under Pelawal police station, was having an affair. A few months ago, she left Mohan and moved in with her lover. This irked Mohan and his family, who brought it to the notice of the village elders.

Local villagers said she had been warned a number of times by the panchayat members to keep off the youth. But she refused to pay heed to the warnings. Ten days ago, she was suddenly found missing after a hastily-convened panchayat. Neither the villagers nor her relatives bothered to inquire into her “mysterious” disappearance.

Acting on a tip-off by the village guard, the police combed a forest adjacent to the village and recovered the skeleton. It was identified as that of Dewanti’s from some of her belongings lying strewn around.

Some of her relatives, who came to Hazaribagh subdivisional hospital today with the skeleton, remained tight-lipped fearing social reprisal and harassment by the panchayat.

A family member said as they had to live in the village, it was not possible for them to raise their voice against the panchayat.

A section of villagers, who had accompanied the victim’s family, said the woman was beaten to death and then doused in acid so that it decomposed faster.

They said that the place, from where the body was recovered, showed some clues, which proved that acid was used to decompose the dead body.