A 22-year-old pregnant woman from Odisha’s Koraput district, who had been missing since July 29, was found dead and buried in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, police said. The victim, identified as Albina Garada, was a resident of Tunkhal village under the Dasmantpur police limits. Police suspect that she was murdered before her body was transported across the state border and buried underground. Two men, identified as 35-year-old Mohan Khilla and 19-year-old Milan Kuldeep, have been arrested in connection with the case.

According to police, Albina went missing from the Semiliguda area on July 29. A missing-person complaint was subsequently lodged at the Semiliguda police station on August 1 by Mohan Khilla. During the investigation, police reportedly gathered information suggesting that Albina may have been the victim of a criminal act. Mohan and Milan were detained and questioned, following which investigators obtained information that allegedly led them to the location where the woman’s body had been disposed of.

Acting on the information provided during the investigation, Semiliguda Police coordinated with their counterparts in Andhra Pradesh and launched a search operation in the Gajapathinagaram area of Vizianagaram district. The search eventually led investigators to Marupalli village, where police found a partially decomposed body buried near a tree. The body was subsequently exhumed in accordance with legal procedures in the presence of an Executive Magistrate, family members and witnesses.

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Albina’s father reportedly identified the body based on the clothes recovered from the burial site. Police sent the remains for post-mortem examination and preserved biological samples for DNA testing. The forensic examination is expected to help establish the woman’s identity conclusively and provide investigators with evidence regarding the circumstances and possible cause of her death. Police are also examining other evidence collected from the burial location as part of the murder investigation.

Investigators have seized a car that was allegedly used to transport and dispose of the body, along with tools suspected to have been used to dig the burial site. Mobile phones, clothes belonging to the accused and other forensic material have also been recovered and sent for examination. Police said the investigation has revealed that Mohan Khilla was already married twice and was allegedly in a relationship with Albina. Investigators suspect that a domestic dispute may have preceded the alleged killing, although the exact motive is yet to be established.

Police have accused Mohan and Milan of killing Albina and subsequently transporting and burying her body in Andhra Pradesh. Both accused were produced before a court and sent to judicial custody. Investigators are continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding Albina’s disappearance, the alleged murder and the cross-border disposal of her body. The post-mortem and DNA reports, along with forensic evidence and further questioning of the accused, are expected to help establish the complete sequence of events and the motive behind the alleged crime.

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