Severed feet, foetus found dumped in bushes in Sec 17

Feet, suspected to be of a woman, found wrapped in newspaper; polythene bag carrying a female foetus also recovered, say cops

CHANDIGARH: Severed feet, suspected to be of a woman, and an aborted female foetus were found dumped in the bushes along a cycle track near the busy Press light point in Sector 17, Chandigarh, on Tuesday.

Ajit Kishori, who is a manager at the State Bank of India (SBI)’s local head office in the Bank Square situated close to the spot, was walking on the cycle track after lunch when he spotted a chopped human foot wrapped in a newspaper.

Police reached the spot on receiving his call and recovered another foot, also wrapped in a newspaper, as well as the foetus, wrapped in a polythene bag, from the bushes.

Police said the severed feet were wrapped in an English newspaper, and there was no blood or sign of decomposition. An investigating official, on the condition of anonymity, said it seems the feet were severed with precision using a cutting machine two to three days back and might have been preserved in a freezer before disposal.

The foetus, meanwhile, seems to have been aborted recently, said a police official.

The recovered body parts along with the foetus have been sent to the mortuary at Government Multi Specialty Hospital, Sector 16, where the postmortem will be conducted on Wednesday.

A case has registered under Section 318 (secretly burying or otherwise disposing of the dead body of a child) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). However, no FIR has yet been registered in the case of the severed feet.

Police are also looking into the angle whether the feet were being used by medical students for their practical classes. Although, police have sought opinion of doctors, a cop privy to the case, said its chances are bleak.

The police are also to ascertain whether the feet belong to the same person. The gender, too, will become clear after the postmortem, though initial investigations hint towards them belonging to a woman.

“We have sent the feet as well as the foetus for postmortem. Further action will be taken only after getting the doctors’ opinion,” said Krishan Kumar, deputy superintendent of police.

POLICE SAY FEET WERE SEVERED WITH PRECISION USING A CUTTING MACHINE TWO TO THREE DAYS BACK

KESHAV SINGH/HT ■ Police and forensic experts carrying out investigations at the spot where severed feet and a foetus were found in Sector 17 on Tuesday.