Body hunt ends in turtle nest as cops dig up riverbank on tip-off

Cops and forensic team on Kuakhai riverbed Cops and forensic team on Kuakhai riverbed Cops and forensic team on Kuakhai riverbed Cops and forensic team on Kuakhai riverbed Cops and forensic team on Kuakhai riverbed Cops and forensic team on Kuakhai riverbed Cops and forensic team on Kuakhai riverbed 1 2 3 Bhubaneswar : A tip-off about a body allegedly buried on the banks of the Kuakhai river in Bhubaneswar triggered a massive police search operation on Monday, only for the exercise to end on an unexpected note after officers unearthed turtle eggs instead of human remains. The incident occurred under the Pahala police station limits when an officer received an SOS from a trusted informer claiming that a body had been buried along the riverbank. Given the gravity of the information, police decided against dismissing the alert and immediately swung into action. 'We did not take the information lightly. We acted swiftly on the input and treated it as a potential case of foul play,' Pahala police station's inspector in-charge (IIC) Aswini Kumar Jena said. Assisted by a forensic team, police personnel rushed to the spot and launched a search operation. 'We walked nearly 2 km along the riverbed before reaching the suspected location. We noticed signs of disturbance on the sand surface, which raised our suspicion. We then began excavating the area,' another police officer said. The operation continued for nearly two hours from around 11 am, with officials painstakingly digging nearly 7ft deep into the riverbank in search of possible evidence. However, despite the extensive effort, investigators found no trace of a human body. Instead, the excavation revealed turtle eggs buried beneath layers of sand, bringing the high-alert operation to an anti-climactic conclusion. Jena said police could not afford to ignore the tip-off considering the seriousness of the information received. Police also rejected suggestions that the incident stemmed from a prank call or a deliberate false alarm. 'The informer is a local resident who has assisted us in several operations in the past. He did not play any prank this time. When we questioned him, we found that he genuinely believed the information to be true. Any input suggesting a possible crime has to be verified thoroughly. We immediately launched the operation to rule out any possibility of foul play,' another police officer said. Following the unsuccessful search, police concluded that there was no evidence to support the allegation of a buried body. Officials maintained that the operation, though it did not uncover any criminal activity, was essential to ensure that no possible offence went unchecked. The unusual episode attracted considerable curiosity among local residents, many of whom gathered near the site as the excavation progressed, anticipating the discovery of human remains or a major breakthrough in a suspected crime case. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Bhubaneswar | Silver Rate in Bhubaneswar | Bank Holidays in Bhubaneswar | Public Holidays in Bhubaneswar | Petrol Price in Bhubaneswar | Diesel Price in Bhubaneswar | CNG Price in Bhubaneswar | LPG Price in Bhubaneswar Stay updated with the latest Bhubaneswar news. Download the TOI App.