Sonepur, June 30: A woman sarpanch of Subarnapur district has been brutally murdered.

Police seized the body that local people identified as the sarpanch of Dubula panchayat Shivani Kuanr, 27.

Shivani had been missing since Tuesday night. Her body was found from the Bhalumukha hills, about 7km from Jharmunda village where Shivani used to stay in a rented house. Shivani was a widow, who after death of her husband, came to reside in a rented house at Jharmunda village about two years ago. Police are yet to make any arrest in connection with the murder.

Police said Shivani had left her house on Tuesday night, but she did not return to the village.

The villagers started looking for her in the morning, but could not find her. Some people of the nearby villages spotted the body high in the Bhalumukha hills and informed the villagers. The villagers identified the body as that of the sarpanch.

The half-naked body of the sarpanch had injury marks in the throat, back and face. Police said the villagers had seen the woman leaving the village on a bike with an unknown person. Tarabha police have registered a case under Section 302 of IPC. Sub-divisional police officer of Sonepur Pramod Kumar Patel said the crime had been committed probably after a brawl between the victim and the killer.

“If we go by the circumstantial evidence, it is unlikely that the victim would have gone to the top of such a high hill unwillingly. She must have consented to go there and after sometime some brawl might have broken out which resulted in the killing,” Patel said. Patel said the scientific team, who had visited the spot, found important information which would help in the probe.

“We have not arrested anyone so far. Police are on the hunt for the culprit and we will soon arrest the accused,” he said.