Chennai, Aug 29:
A 22-year-old man wanted in connection with the murder and dismemberment of a 45-year-old woman in Guduvanchery, whose headless body was found in a suitcase on a Tamil Nadu Express train at Agra railway station, has been arrested in Manipur, police said.
The accused has been identified as Manik Uddin Laskar (22), son of Moniruddin Laskar, a native of Dakhin Krishnapur, Sonabarighat, in Cachar district of Assam. He was arrested by the Guduvanchery police inspector from the Kasimpur area of Jiribam district in Manipur.
The sensational case came to light on August 5, when railway authorities at Agra railway station found a suitcase containing the headless body of a woman inside a Tamil Nadu Express train. According to the police, the body had allegedly been cooked before being packed into the suitcase and transported by train to Agra.
Investigations subsequently established the identity of the victim as Haidul Nisha, 45, from Guduvanchery in Chennai.
The Guduvanchery police registered a murder case and launched an investigation to trace those responsible for the killing and determine the circumstances surrounding the disposal of the body.
During the investigation, police reportedly traced Laskar to Manipur. A special team from Guduvanchery travelled to the State and arrested him in the Kasimpur area of Jiribam district.
Police are continuing their efforts to locate the victim’s missing head, which has not yet been recovered. Investigators are expected to question the arrested accused to establish the sequence of events following the murder and determine where the remaining body part was disposed of.
The police are also searching for Laskar’s girlfriend, who is suspected to have information relevant to the investigation. Her whereabouts are currently being traced.
Laskar will be brought to Tamil Nadu after the police obtain a transit warrant from the competent court. He is expected to be taken to Tambaram for further investigation and legal proceedings.
The police are questioning the accused to establish the motive for the murder, the circumstances in which Haidul Nisha was killed and the role, if any, of others in the crime and disposal of the body.
The shocking manner in which the victim’s body was allegedly dismembered, cooked and transported by train has added to the seriousness of the investigation. Police are now focusing on recovering the missing head and tracing all those who may have been involved in the crime.