Bhubaneswar, Nov 6: A preliminary postmortem report has revealed that Kunjalata Nanda, who was allegedly murdered during a robbery attempt at Buddhanagar under Laxmisagar police limits in Bhubaneswar, died of suffocation and not due to head injuries.

Meanwhile, police have detained the prime accused, caretaker Balabhadra Maharana, following a raid in the Parikud area near Chilika.

According to the preliminary report, Kunjalata had two injury marks on her ear and neck, which may have been caused by an attack with a blood-stained pair of scissors recovered from the crime scene. However, these injuries were not fatal. There were no injury marks on the back of her head, while signs of forceful gripping were found around her neck. Police suspect that Balabhadra strangled her to death.

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The victim also had scratch marks on her upper lip and multiple injury marks on her thighs, both hands and other parts of her body. Police suspect she was brutally assaulted before being killed.

A police team had earlier raided Balabhadra's ancestral house in Tangi, Khurda district, and his relatives' houses in Nayagarh but returned empty-handed. The team later reached Malud in Parikud, where his wife and children were staying in a rented house.

According to local residents, Balabhadra was seen roaming outside his rented house around 10 am on the morning after the murder. He reportedly handed over some cash to his family members before fleeing.

Apart from Balabhadra, four other women domestic workers were employed at Kunjalata's house. While one provided massage services, another was responsible for washing utensils and cleaning the house. They usually visited the house in the morning and returned home in the evening after completing their work.

The incident came to light on Wednesday morning when a priest visited the house to perform puja rituals. After repeatedly knocking on the door without receiving a response, he returned. Later, a domestic worker who had arrived for household chores also knocked on the door but received no response. Suspecting something unusual, she informed Kunjalata's younger son-in-law, Samarendra Mahapatra.

Police have recorded statements from the victim's younger son-in-law, neighbours, the four domestic workers, tenants and other people connected with the case.

Kunjalata's body has been kept in the mortuary of Capital Hospital following the postmortem examination. Her last rites will be performed after her elder son, Sambit, arrives from the United States.