Cuttack, June 19: More than a week on, police are still groping in dark about the exact causes of the deaths of a homeguard and an elderly woman in the city.

The bullet-riddled body of Kirti Ranjan Masant, 38, a homeguard posted at Jagatpur police station, was found from Mahanadi riverbank within the Jagatpur police limits on June 14.

It is yet to be confirmed whether it was a case of suicide or someone had shot him.

"We have conducted an on-spot assessment of the crime scene with forensic experts and doctors. We are waiting for the reports from the state forensic laboratory. Only after we get the reports will we be able to clearly say how the homeguard died," said deputy commissioner of police Sanjeev Arora.

A country-made sixer gun and two live bullets were found near the body of Kirti. Cops suspect that the weapon might have been placed to make the incident look like a suicide.

The police are also struggling to crack the mystery behind the death of Haramani Sahu, a 70-year-old woman whose body was found from her residence at Bhagatpur in Purighat police limits on June 12. Haramani's hand and legs were tied when police found the body.

Haramani's son Devesh alleged that his mother had been killed over a property dispute. However, the police are yet to zero in on the culprits.

Purighat police, however, claimed that the case was complicated as they are yet to establish whether Haramani died while resisting the goons during a dacoity or whether some family members were involved in the incident.