A team of forensic experts on Wednesday visited the Baguiati flat where the partially decomposed body of a woman was recovered on Tuesday, a senior officer in the Bidhannagar commissionerate said.
The body was found in a sealed drum in the first-floor flat, which is owned by a doctor.
The owner has apparently told the police that he used to rent out the apartment but it had been vacant since the last tenant moved out around a year ago.
According to the officer, the forensic team collected strands of hair and several pieces of cloth.
“We are trying to conduct a DNA test that will help us ascertain the age of the woman,” said the officer.
The post mortem was conducted on Wednesday evening.
But the report was inconclusive as the body was in a highly decomposed state.
“The body had decomposed badly. The doctor who conducted the post mortem told us that the cause of death could not be ascertained,” the officer said.
The report, however, indicated that the woman had died several months back.
Biswajit Ghosh, deputy commissioner, detective department, said they are treating multiple persons as suspects.
“We have started a murder probe and are treating everybody as suspect,” Ghosh said.
Another officer said that along with the murder case, a case of unnatural death has been started.
The body was found in a drum inside the bathroom of the apartment.
The open end of the drum had been sealed using a coat of cement.
On Wednesday, a senior officer of the Bidhannagar commissionerate’s detective department said the owner of the flat, Gopal Mukherjee, has not been able to furnish a single document pertaining to the identity of the tenant who had moved out more than a year ago.
“The owner of the flat has not been able to provide the rent agreement or any identity card of his tenant, who he claims had vacated the flat more than a year back,” the officer said.
On Tuesday, Mukherjee had gone to get the apartment cleaned when he was alerted by a foul smell emanating from the flat, which was locked from inside.
Mukherjee had keys to the apartment. But he suspected something was amiss,
so instead of opening the apartment, he alerted officers at the Baguiati police station.