Ballia, Oct 23 (IANS): A mutilated body of an unidentified person was found in a suitcase, dumped in the fields between Daya Chhapra and Prasad Chhapra villages along the highway in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia district.

Superintendent of Police (SP) S. Anand said on Monday that the body found was badly decomposed with only a skeleton left, making it difficult to ascertain its gender.

“The body has been sent for post-mortem examination. The report is likely to clear the gender of the deceased,” he said, adding, teams have been engaged to ascertain the identity of the person killed.

The co-operation of Bihar Police of neighbouring districts has also been sought in this regard.

Earlier, on Sunday, natives of Daya Chhapra and Prasad Chhapra alerted cops from Bairiya police station after spotting a red suitcase dumped in the fields and foul smell emanating out of it.

SP Bairiya Dharmvir Singh, who reached the spot, said that as per initial investigation it is assumed that the body is over 15 days old. It was also suspected that the suitcase might have been dumped in bushes and the stray dogs had taken it up to the fields.

Villagers claimed that the body was of some teen girl, which had been chopped in pieces before packing in the suitcase and dumping it there. Police said that a post-mortem report was awaited to clear the facts.