Tamil Nadu Express suitcase murder: Couple Arrested In Manipur After 24-Day Manhunt
A man and a woman who were wanted for the murder of a 38-year woman, whom the body parts of were found in a suitcase in the Tamil Nadu Express, have been arrested in Manipur and have been on police’s radar for 24 days.
The accused are Assam-born Manik Uddin Laskar aged 22 and his 21-year-old wife Bhagabati Majhi of Kendujhar district in Odisha. On Saturday, they were arrested by a joint team of Manipur and Tamil Nadu Police in Jiribam district.
The couple were traced to Kashimpur area of Jiribam by police. They are to be made in the presence of a local magistrate and then sent to Tamil Nadu on a transit warrant.
The case came into light after the body was discovered at the Tamil Nadu Express stopped at Agra Cantt station on August 5 when passengers observed the strong smell emanating from a discarded red suitcase which was abandoned in a coach which was not reserved.
The suitcase was searched by government Railway Police and they discovered the disarticulated corpse of a woman.
Later forensic examination revealed the victim to be Hayathun Nisha, 38, a native of Odisha, residing in Guduvanchery in the outskirts of Chennai and working with a private firm.
During the investigation, police examined CCTV footage from Chennai Central railway station. Laskar was reportedly carrying the suitcase and Majhi was following him through the station.
They then traced their tracks to Guduvanchery where they searched a rented house connected with the accused. When police raided the scene they allegedly discovered other body parts in a large cooking vessel in the premises.
It was originally reported as a missing person case at Guduvanchery Police Station. Once the remains were discovered, it was changed into a murder case.
The couple allegedly went into hiding and police launched a nationwide search for the two, naming Laskar and Majhi as the prime suspects.
Their arrest in Manipur will help investigators in the Manipur murder figure out the circumstances and the motive. The motive will be clear in Tamil Nadu after the couple are brought there and questioned by police, they said.