A woman in her thirties was found dead in an agricultural field in Bengaluru’s Whitefield area on Wednesday. The woman, originally from Murshidabad, West Bengal, has been identified as Sonali Khatun. Sonali had moved to Bengaluru, along with her husband, two children and her mother, a year ago, in search of work. On Wednesday, her body was found in a field in Siddapura, close to Whitefield. Investigators suspect she was strangled.
Sonali worked as a housekeeper at a private facility management firm in Brookefield. Her husband Babu Shek, 33, is a constructoin labourer. The couple lived in Siddapura with their two children – a 14-year-old son and a 8-year-old daughter – and Sonali’s 60-year-old mother, Sayra.
The couple would leave for work in the morning and return in the evening. However, on Tuesday, around 7.30 pm, Sonali came home and said she had left her mobile phone at her workplace. She borrowed her husband’s phone and stepped out to collect it. But she never returned.
When relatives tried to contact her, the husband’s phone rang once before being switched off. Sonali’s own phone was also unreachable. The family searched through the night but did not contact the police. Her body was discovered the next day by the police, who traced her addressed and visited her residence.
“Prima facie, it appears she was strangled to death,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Whitefield) Saidulu Adavath said, adding that the exact cause of death would be confirmed after autopsy.
Police have registered a murder case based on the family’s complaint.
Investigators are yet to determine if Sonali met someone she knew or if she was subjected to sexual assault.
Apart from marks around her neck, there are no other visible external injuries.
CCTV footage from buildings nearby is being scanned to identify suspects. Efforts are underway to trace both the phones as the investigation continues.
