The partially decomposed body of a woman was found inside a drum in the first-floor flat of a four-storey building in Baguiati’s Jagatpur on Tuesday, police said.

The flat is owned by a doctor. He used to let it out on rent but it was lying vacant for the past one year, the police said.
A senior officer of the Bidhannagar Commissionerate said that the body was found inside a large drum kept inside the bathroom.

The drum’s mouth was sealed with a coat of cement. The police team that went to the flat after being informed of a foul smell by the owner Gopal Mukherjee had to break open the seal using iron rods and hammers.

On Tuesday, Mukherjee had gone to get the flat cleaned when he noticed a foul smell coming out the flat that was locked from inside.

Although Mukherjee had the keys to the flat, he suspected that something was amiss and alerted the cops.

“A police team went to the flat. We found the body after breaking the cement covering,” said the officer.

According to the officer, they still have not managed to establish the identity of the woman. No documents that could help the cops identify the woman could be found even after searing the flat.

“The owner told us that his last tenant had vacated the flat around a year ago. We have identified the tenant through the rent agreement and are trying to track him down. It seems possible that the body had been lying inside the drum for the past several months,” said the officer.

According to Mukherjee, the flat was lying vacant since his last tenant left.

“We have started a case of unnatural death and murder,” said the officer.

A forensic team will soon visit the flat to collect samples.