Sonepur: The decomposed body of a woman was spotted today under mysterious circumstances while lying in the hollow chamber of a bridge over the Suktel river and on Deulapadar-Pua road under Mendha outpost and Tarabha police limits in Subarnapur district.

A pair of sandals and a vanity bag were also found near the chamber, a senior cop informed.

According to a source, a few local youths had gone to the bridge earlier in the day to catch pigeons. They noticed that a foul smell was emanating from a manhole of the bridge’s hollow chamber.

Out of curiosity, they went near the manhole and saw the half-naked and half-burnt body inside the dark chamber with the help of torchlight.

Later, the locals informed to Tarabha police. A team of police reached the spot and initiated a probe into the suspicious death, which is underway.

“Identity of the woman has not been ascertained yet,” the official from Tarabha PS said.

“We have taken the help of a scientific team and investigating the death,” Tarabha SDPO Pratap Tripathy stated.