Overview
- Police said the severed head of 51-year-old Lake Padiami was found on a riverbank days after her headless body was recovered, advancing the murder investigation.
- One suspect, Subha Ranjan Mandal, has been arrested; officers said he confessed to disposing of the body, and inquiries continue into an alleged land/sharecropping dispute.
- The Odisha government extended the districtwide internet suspension for another 24 hours and kept prohibitory orders in place as large police and BSF deployments continued.
- Officials reported 163 houses damaged in the Bengali-settler settlement, with community leaders alleging up to about 200, and relief measures include a free kitchen and temporary shelter.
- Authorities reported no fresh violence after joint peace talks, and the victim’s burial was conducted under security with local customs observed; damage assessment and compensation processing are underway.