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NEW DELHI: A day after a woman ’s partially-naked body was found in the bushes behind Ghata Masjid near Rajghat , police suspect that she may have been gang-raped and murdered. Cops are trying to get some clues from the shirt buttons, pieces of cloth and liquor bottles found at the spot. A few rickshawpullers and drug addicts found near the park have been detained for questioning.

The woman was strangled and her face crushed with stones, which were found next to the body. She was also dragged as there were bruises on the body. Since the face is disfigured, the victim has not been identified. She was about five feet tall with a wheatish complexion. She was wearing a soiled salwar suit, which was torn in the chest area.

The body will be preserved at LNJP hospital for the next 72 hours as per protocol in such cases. If nobody identifies and claims the body within this period, an autopsy will be done to ascertain the cause and time of death. Police are waiting for the autopsy report to establish the time of murder. Sources said that rigor mortis had set in indicating that the murder may have taken place early on Sunday night.

Locals told police that they had seen the woman entering the park with some youths. Prime facie it appears that the woman used to stay on the footpath near Rajghat. The youths probably had liquor and then raped and strangled the woman. She was dragged into the bushes and hit with the stones to make sure that she had died. The pieces of cloth and buttons have been sent for forensic analysis.

The list of women staying on footpaths around Daryaganj and Delhi Gate is being scanned by teams from the district special staff to find out if any of them is missing. A hue and cry notice has been raised seeking details of missing women from nearby areas. Details have been uploaded on Zipnet, the repository of missing people and unidentified bodies.

