Mysterious death: Woman's body found near Mumbai-Nagpur highway, police suspect possible human sacrifice

The deceased woman was found adorned in a new saree with vermilion on her forehead, and the grim event coinciding with amavasya night, often associated with occult practices like witchcraft rituals, adds to the perplexity.

In a disturbing incident, the body of an unidentified woman, her throat slit, was discovered amid thorny shrubs along the Wadgaon-Gumgaon road, just a short distance from the bustling Waifal toll plaza of the Samruddhi Mahamarg. A local farm owner, noticing blood traces along a human trail, promptly alerted the Hingna police around noon on Tuesday.

The eerie circumstances surrounding the incident have raised suspicions of potential human sacrifice. The woman was found adorned in a new saree with vermilion on her forehead, and the grim event coinciding with amavasya night, often associated with occult practices like witchcraft rituals, adds to the perplexity.

Among the shrubs, authorities discovered used condom packets, a gold-plated earring, a finger ring, a blade, and a part of a new woman’s slipper. The victim, seemingly in her mid-30s and presumably married, was clad in a fawn-coloured jacket and bore circular tattoo designs, a common feature among tribal or village women from Madhya Pradesh.

Extensive investigative efforts have led police teams to several locations in Madhya Pradesh, including Seoni, Mandla, Parasia, and Chhindwara. Blood traces found 15 feet away from the body suggest a possible scenario where the woman might have been lured, engaged in sexual activity, and then killed in the shrubs. Authorities are confounded as to why the body was placed behind the shrubs at a distance from the blood spots.

Further, the body's positioning indicates that the victim might have been bound elsewhere and transported to the site. Investigators estimate the crime to have occurred approximately 12-14 hours before its discovery, adding another layer of mystery to this gruesome incident.