Missing Jharkhand woman found dead after 9 days; lover strangled, buried her

A 42-year-old woman who went missing from Bokaro on September 4 was found dead nine days later, with police alleging that she was strangled to death by a mason with whom she was in a relationship.

The woman’s decomposed body was recovered from a forested area after police detained a 52-year-old suspect based on technical evidence and CCTV footage. The accused, identified as mason Mustakeem Ansari, allegedly confessed during questioning that he had strangled the woman to death.

Police said the woman’s family had lodged a missing-person complaint after she failed to return home on September 4. During the investigation, CCTV footage showed her accompanying Ansari on the day she disappeared, following which police questioned him.WOMAN WENT MISSING ON SEPTEMBER 4

According to police, the woman and Ansari had known each other for a long time as they worked together as daily wage labourers. The two allegedly developed a close relationship.

On September 4, both left their homes saying they were going to work. Police said Ansari instead took the woman away from their intended destination and eventually went with her to a secluded forested area. He allegedly strangled her there and left her body before returning home.

Police said Ansari returned to the same area three days later, on September 7, after the woman’s family had begun searching for her. He allegedly dug a pit and buried the body.

As the investigation progressed, police obtained CCTV footage showing the woman with Ansari on the day she went missing.

Based on the footage and other technical evidence, police detained Ansari for questioning. He allegedly confessed to killing the woman and subsequently led investigators to the place where he had buried her.

The body was recovered during an excavation conducted in the presence of a magistrate, forensic experts and police officers.BODY FOUND IN DECOMPOSED CONDITION

Police said the body had decomposed extensively by the time it was recovered. It was also allegedly mutilated by animals, making identification difficult. The woman’s son identified the body.

Senior police officer Rajiv Ranjan said the woman was murdered on September 4 and that the accused buried her body three days later.

Police are now investigating the circumstances surrounding the murder, including the motive and the exact sequence of events.POLICE FACING QUESTIONS OVER MISSING CASES

The latest murder has also raised questions over the handling of missing-person complaints in Bokaro.

The recent murder of a woman named Pushpa is one such case. Her disappearance was followed by a delayed police case and a prolonged investigation, after which a special CID team was involved in recovering her remains.

Police are continuing their investigation into the latest case and are questioning the accused to establish the circumstances and motive behind the murder.- EndsPublished By: Priyanka KumariPublished On: Sep 14, 2026 18:19 IST