Malkangiri: Days after skeletal remains of a young woman was discovered from a forest in Odisha's Malkangiri district, police have arrested 20-year-old youth from Chhattisgarh for his alleged involvement in the murder. 

The accused Umesh Nag, a resident of Pondum village in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh and a Plus Three student, was nabbed after Malkangiri police examined post-mortem findings and circumstantial evidence which indicated murder instead of an un-natural death. Acting on it and cross-verifying with a missing case already been lodged at Sukma police station in the neighbouring State, Malkangiri police found substantial cues on the suspect when the identity of the woman was confirmed after family members identified her clothing and personal belongings. 

Investigation revealed that Umesh was in a relationship with the woman, identified as Mangaldei Nag (25) who hailed from Murtunda village in the same district and allegedly killed her in order to conceal her pregnancy. The duo was in a relationship for over a year but trouble started brewing when Mangaldei got pregnant and Umesh insisted on getting an abortion.

Official sources said he had taken Mangaldei to the district headquarters hospital (DHH) in Malkangiri on March 20 to get her pregnancy terminated but doctors had refused to carry out the procedure following an ultrasound. Desperate to escape the situation arising from the pregnancy, Umesh then lured Mangaldei to the nearby Sunatang forest where he allegedly murdered her and buried her in an attempt to wipe out evidence. 

However, after autopsy and circumstantial evidence, police zeroed in on the suspect and arrested Umesh from Chhattisgarh. 

He has been brought to Malkangiri for further questioning and investigation is underway, police informed. 

On April 12, police had recovered Mangaldei's decomposed body from Sunatang forest area within Malkangiri police station limits along the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border and initially registered a case of unnatural death.