Live-in partner killed, body burnt to hide identity in Raigarh, held

Raipur: Raigarh police arrested a 45-year-old man for allegedly strangling his 60-year-old live-in partner and burning her body with petrol to conceal her identity following a domestic dispute over suspected infidelity.The half-burnt body of the victim, identified as Mangarita Ekka, was discovered on a trail near a stone crusher in the Punjipathra area on June 17. Police cracked the blind murder within 72 hours after Ekka’s sons, who live in Jashpur district, identified her body and clothes through photographs and videos circulated on social media.Following the identification, a Punjipathra police team tracked down and arrested the accused, Emilius Tigga, from the Farsabahar area in Jashpur.According to investigators, Tigga and Ekka, both Jashpur natives working as laborers in local industrial plants, met three months ago and recently started living together in a rented house in Punjipathra. However, the couple frequently quarreled because Ekka suspected Tigga of having another wife.On June 17, Ekka packed a bag and left the house, stating she was returning to her village. Tigga followed her. While consuming alcohol together under a tree along the way, a heated argument broke out over past disputes.

In a fit of rage, Tigga strangled her to death using her own saree and concealed the body in nearby bushes.To cover his tracks, Tigga went to a nearby fuel station later that evening, purchased petrol in a bottle, dragged the body to a pile of crusher dust, and set it ablaze.Following his confession, police recovered the petrol bottle, a matchbox, and the clothes worn during the crime based on his statement. Tigga has been booked for murder and causing the disappearance of evidence under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and remanded to judicial custody.