Woman killed in Guduvanchery, body parts packed in suitcase and sent on train to Agra

CHENNAI: Investigation into the gruesome murder of a woman, whose dismembered headless body packed in a large red suitcase was found onboard Tamil Nadu Express (leaving Central railway station) after it reached Agra, has now taken the Agra Railway Police (ARP) to a couple travelling in an auto rickshaw in Guduvanchery.

During the investigation, ARP had sought the assistance of the Tamil Nadu Police and examined CCTV footage from Central station and other locations.

The footage showed a middle-aged man and a woman arriving at Central with a red suitcase and boarding the Tamil Nadu Express. Shortly before the train departed, they left the suitcase inside the train and got down. They then walked to Park station, boarded an EMU train, got down at Guduvanchery and travelled in an autorickshaw.

More than 200 cameras in and around Guduvanchery were analysed. Further investigation revealed that the duo had left a rented house on Masjid Street in Guduvanchery carrying the same suitcase. When police reached the house, it was locked. The ARP, with the assistance of Guduvanchery police, searched the premises.

Police have shown photographs of the couple to residents to establish their identities and trace their movements. Preliminary inquiries revealed that there were two women and a man from Odisha, who had been staying in the house for the past few days. Police are investigating whether the murdered woman was one of the two women.

Police have also found evidence suggesting that the woman may have been killed inside the house and her body dismembered before being packed into the suitcase. Police suspect that the body may have been suspended from a ceiling fan while it was being cut into pieces. They also found a large vessel containing maida flour and human body parts.

The identity of the deceased, whereabouts of the missing head and the motive for the murder remain unclear.

A special team of the Agra Railway Police has arrived in Chennai and is continuing the investigation with the assistance of the Tamil Nadu Police. As the suspected murder took place in Guduvanchery, which comes under the Tambaram Police Commissionerate, authorities are also examining whether the case should be transferred to the Tambaram Commissionerate.

The suitcase was found in a general compartment after the train reached Agra on August 6. Passengers noticed a foul smell emanating from it and alerted railway officials.

When the Agra Railway Police opened the suitcase, they found the dismembered headless body. The remains were sent to a GH for postmortem and a case was registered.