A 31-year-old daily-wage labourer was found murdered with his head severed at the village waterworks in Ismaila under the Sampla police station limits on Monday.
The victim, identified as Neeraj, had reportedly left his home on Sunday evening but did not return. His body was discovered lying in a pool of blood on the premises of the village waterworks after a watchman alerted the police.
Police teams, along with forensic experts from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), reached the spot and collected evidence.
Neeraj’s elder brother, Naresh Kumar, lodged a complaint, following which the police registered a case against unidentified persons. No suspicion has been expressed against anyone in the complaint.
According to sources, Neeraj was unmarried and worked as a daily-wage labourer. News of the gruesome murder drew family members and villagers to the scene.
Sampla DSP Anil Kumar said Neeraj’s body was found on the waterworks premises, with his severed head lying nearby, indicating that it had been cut off with a sharp-edged weapon. A liquor bottle was also recovered from the spot.
“A case has been registered against unknown persons while efforts are underway to find out the exact cause of death and to identify those involved in the crime,” said the DSP.
Police spokesperson said three investigation teams had been constituted to solve the case.
“CCTV footage is being analysed to gather clues about those involved in the crime,” he said, adding that Neeraj was a habitual drinker.
The motive behind the murder is yet to be established, and police are investigating all possible angles.
