Kichha (Uttarakhand): A 23-year-old woman from Odisha, interning at Mahindra and Mahindra’s factory in Uttarakhand’s Lalpur area, was found murdered. Police have arrested one person in connection with the case.

The deceased has been identified as Shrusti Sharma, a native of JKPur in Odisha’s Rayagada district. She was undergoing a six-month internship at the tractor division of Mahindra and Mahindra in Lalpur and was residing in a rented house owned by Kameshwara Singh, located near the Bharatiya School.

Shrusti’s mobile phone had been switched off since Tuesday afternoon, raising concerns among her family members. Her cousin, Amrut Sharma, along with two friends, travelled to Lalpur on Wednesday evening to check on her.

Upon reaching the rented house, Amrut found Shrusti missing. When he contacted the house owner, Kameshwara, he claimed to be away in Rudrapur for his wife’s medical treatment. However, Kameshwara’s son, Amit Singh, failed to provide a satisfactory explanation regarding Shrusti’s whereabouts, further heightening suspicion.

Amrut and his friends then approached neighbours and reviewed CCTV footage from nearby houses. The footage showed Amit, along with another youth, carrying a heavy object wrapped in a bedsheet on a motorcycle around midnight on Tuesday.

Following this discovery, Amrut lodged a complaint with Lalpur Police, naming Amit Singh and Sumit Singh as the prime suspects in Shrusti’s murder.

Accused arrested

SP City Uttam Singh Negi confirmed to www.livehindustan.com that the police arrested Amit Singh, who later confessed to killing Shrusti during interrogation. Based on his statement, the police recovered her body from the Badour river. The body has been sent for post-mortem.

A case of murder has been registered, and further investigation is underway to determine the motive and identify any additional accomplices, police said.