Jagatsinghpur, Ap 22: Tension gripped locals after the body of Sasmita Das, a young woman from Kathia Poda village, was recovered from a pond near Yogdhari Wire House Chhak in Jagatsinghpur’s Sadar police limits.

Police said preliminary evidence suggests she was murdered in an extremely brutal manner, with her throat slit before her body was disposed of in the pond.

Authorities confirmed that the Sadar police scientific team has begun a detailed investigation at the scene, and the autopsy will reveal the exact cause of death.

According to reports, Sasmita had gone missing a few days earlier. She was scheduled to get married on May 10, but on the previous Monday evening, she left home claiming she was visiting a relative and did not return. Her mobile phone was switched off, and her family’s efforts to locate her proved unsuccessful, prompting them to lodge a complaint at the police station.

Police suspect that the killing may have been love-related issue. The victim’s father alleged that a young man had previously threatened to harm his daughter. Authorities have assured that the investigation is underway and that the circumstances behind the murder will be revealed soon.