The body of a woman, who police suspect was stabbed to death, was found on the ground floor of a two-storey house at Diamond Park in Joka on Thursday.

The woman had taken the ground floor on rent and moved in on January 17.

“The woman was found with her hands and legs tied and a towel shoved in her mouth. A deep gash on her neck suggested she was knifed to death. She was killed at least a few days back as putrefaction has set in and the body has turned blackish,” said a senior police officer.

A stream of blood trickling beneath the main door alerted the landlord on Thursday afternoon, the police said.

Residents identified the victim as Malini Das. A man, whom Das had introduced as her husband, is missing, the police said.

The police said Das came looking for accommodation in the locality when she met a launderette owner who later introduced her to the house owner.

Das, in her mid-30s, told the house owner that she worked as a caregiver at ESI Hospital in Joka. Das’s husband was with her when she met the house owner.

An Aadhaar card in the name of Kartick Das was found in the room. Its authenticity is yet to be verified, the police said.