Imphal, April 10: A young widow was found killed in an suspicious manner and her body abandoned at a paddy field located on the northern side of the Loushipat Main Canal, about 7 km north-east of Kakching Police Station in Thoubal district last night.

According to police sources, the deceased woman has been identified as Laishram Ningol Laimujam Ongbi Shantibala alias Inaothoibi (24) w/o late L Rojen of Tentha Tuwanband.

She was staying at her maternal mother's place at Tekcham Mayai Leikai along with her two sons and mother.

Two of her younger brothers are reportedly working and staying at Imphal.

Her husband, Laimujam Rojen had been reportedly shot dead by unidentified gunmen near the Buffalo farm at Keirak some two years back on alleged charge of working as an informer.

After the death of her husband, Shantibala returned to her maternal mother's place along with her sons, Romio (5) and Nanao (3) .

When the news of a body of a woman lying at the paddy field located on the northern side of the spot adjoining Tekcham and Loushipat started spreading early morning today, the people of the area rushed in to the spot.

One Sanabam Shyam of Tekcham is cultivating potatoes in the said paddy field.

At around 6 am today, Shyam had come to the field to harvest potatoes along with his two wives and another woman.

The women came across the body lying there.

On hearing the shout of a neighbouring woman, mother of Shantibala, the victim, got up from her bed.

However, as she was not feeling well for quite sometime, she could not come out of the house.

Nonetheless, she noticed that the front door of the house was ajar.

At first, the local people could not identify the corpse as that of Shantibala as the face had been swollen and distorted.

Since Shantibala was not present and her possible elopement with any body was remote, the suspicion of the people and the family members was aroused.

When her mother recalled the dresses she had worn and the colour of the nail polish applied, the local people later on went to the spot and identified the body as that of Shantibala indeed.

Apparently she had been strangulated with the cloths she had worn.

Apart from the strangulation marks on her neck, her tongue was also found sticking out from the mouth.

There were also blood stains on her private parts.

Her inner-wear had been removed and found lying nearby.

Her sandals too were also found lying nearby.

Her body was found being covered with the cloth she had wrapped around herself.

Police suspected that Shantibala may have been killed after being raped.

The mobile phone used by Shantibala has not been able to locate as it is switch off mode while dialling the number.

As far as her mother could remember, Shantibala was in her room sleeping along with her two sons by 11 pm last night.

Meanwhile, after being picked up the body by the Kakching Police, the inquest of the same was done by SDC Thoubal at Lilong Police Station before it was brought to Lilong PHC for post-mortem examination.

However, with enraged local people and the family members insisting on video recording of the entire post-mortem procedure and instituting of a Magisterial inquiry into the incident, the body has been deposited at the mortuary of RIMS where post-mortem examination is likely to be conducted tomorrow.

Later during the day, a public meeting in protest against the killing was held at Tekcham Bazar and a Joint Action Committee called JAC Against the Brutal Killing of Inaothoibi has been formed.