Police suspect that Tanuja Aich, 41, who was found dead inside an SUV near Samantarapur on Monday, was killed and her body being transported in the vehicle that met with an accident.

The sequence of events that took place on Monday night has led the police to investigate in this direction.

“Preliminary examination during post-mortem revealed that the woman died due to serious internal head injury, but a thorough inspection of the SUV did not reveal any such impact. However, we are yet to get the final post-mortem report that will include the doctor’s opinion. The bonnet of the vehicle was damaged after a truck hit the SUV,” said a police official.

The police said the suspicion grew further after CCTV footage revealed that the SUV had collided with a truck, but the victim was not taken to any hospital though the nearest facility was only a few meters from the accident spot.

Another CCTV footage also shows the woman’s husband Sangram Aich leaving the spot with their five-year-old son in a motorcycle.

“A few other men are also seen talking with Sangram in the footage. We are trying to identify them,” said a police official. The police have also found a sword and iron rods concealed under the seat of the SUV. The damaged vehicle was found parked with the body a few meters from the accident spot. The woman’s head was on the driver’s seat and her body placed on the adjacent seat.

The police had also found that the SUV’s door was not locked. Family members of Tanuja had alleged that Sangram of killing and dumping the body in the SUV.

Deputy commissioner of police Anup Kumar Sahoo said investigation revealed that the couple had a marital discord. “A special team of the police is trying to nab the victim’s husband. We are also trying to trace the truck involved in the accident,” said Sahoo.