Durgapur Police recovered the body of an aya (hospital maid) from an abandoned house on Tuesday. The woman had been missing for the past few days. Her husband has been detained for interrogation in connection with the incident, which has caused a major stir in the area.
The deceased, Chabi Das (55), was employed as an aya at Durgapur Steel Hospital. Her husband, Pradip Chakraborty, worked as a contract labourer. The childless couple lived in a quarter, near Sector D Market in Durgapur.
An office of the INTTUC is located beside the couple’s residence. On Tuesday morning, locals noticed a foul smell emanating from the abandoned house. They rushed inside and found the body lying there. Her husband was not present at the house at the time.
Police were informed and, upon investigation, found that the body had been wrapped in salt, apparently to suppress the smell and delay decomposition. Based on complaints from local residents alleging that her husband had killed her, police brought him to the police station for interrogation.
The body has been sent to Durgapur Sub-Divisional Hospital for post-mortem examination. Locals claimed that Chabi Das was soft-spoken and always cheerful. They also alleged that a few days ago she had quarrelled with her husband over a financial issue, after which she may have been killed.
Police sources said that till the time of filing this report, the husband had not confessed to the crime. His movements and mobile tower locations are being analysed. Police suspect that the murder took place a few days ago.