The chicken feathers helped police catch the alleged killer of a 25-year-old woman. (Representational)

Chicken feathers stuck on a bag found near a burnt body helped the police in Maharashtra's Thane crack a murder case and arrest the accused.

Last month, the police had found the body of a woman, about 25 years old, beneath a stream. During the probe, they found chicken feathers stuck on a gunny bag found near the body. They also found an amulet, with Bengali letters, tied around the body part, he said.

The police then tried to track down chicken shop owners and Bengali-speaking people in the area. They tracked down a meat shop owner who they found had suddenly left for West Bengal.

The team then went to West Bengal ad traced the man to village in Birbhum district. The man confessed to the killing on being questioned.

The accused claimed that the woman borrowed Rs 2.5 lakh from him a while ago but was not returning it. Then, he went to the woman's house and allegedly strangled her. With the help of an accomplice, the man took the body to a secluded spot and burnt it.

The police arrested the man yesterday and are now looking for the accused.