Odisha: woman's body on beach with blackened face, mutilated fingers; family claims rape, murder

India's coastal state of Odisha has been stunned after the body of an 18-year-old woman, dressed in only her underclothes, was found on a beach in Puri.

The body was discovered on 26 November 2022, three days after the woman reportedly went missing. Police said that the victim's face was blackened, possibly because of acid or other chemicals. Her fingers were also mutilated.

Police floated the alternate theory that this could also be due to exposure to saline water in the sea due to a long time, and marine creatures biting her fingers. The body was identified with the help of her earrings, gold nose pin, a red band in her hair, and a black band on her ankle.

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Her family claimed that she was kidnapped from a hotel before being raped and murdered. The woman's father said that acid was poured on her face by the killer so that she could not be identified. A missing person's complaint had been filed on 23 November.