Train suitcase murder case: Couple on the run for 24 days arrested in Manipur after pan-India hunt

PTC News Desk: In a significant development, a couple was arrested in Manipur in connection with the murder of a 38-year-old woman whose dismembered body was found in a suitcase aboard Tamil Nadu Express in Agra. 

A joint team of Manipur and Tamil Nadu Police arrested 22-year-old Manik Uddin Laskar from Assam and his 21-year-old wife, Bhagabati Majhi from Odisha, in Manipur’s Jiribam district on Saturday. The couple is suspected of being involved in the murder and dismemberment of a woman.

The case came to light on August 5, when passengers travelling on the Tamil Nadu Express noticed a strong and unpleasant smell coming from an abandoned red suitcase in an unreserved coach. After the train reached Agra Cantt station, Government Railway Police officials opened the suitcase and found the dismembered and headless body of a woman.

Forensic tests later identified the victim as 38-year-old Hayathun Nisha, a native of Odisha who lived in Guduvanchery near Chennai and worked for a private company.

During the investigation, police examined several hours of CCTV footage from Chennai Central railway station. The footage showed Laskar carrying the heavy red suitcase through the station, with Majhi accompanying him.

Police then tracked the couple’s movements to the Chennai suburbs and found their rented house in Guduvanchery. During a search of the house, officers discovered more body parts hidden inside a large cooking vessel.

The case was initially registered as a missing-person complaint at Guduvanchery police station. After the discovery of the body parts, police changed the case to murder.

Investigators identified Laskar and Majhi as the main suspects. After the couple allegedly went into hiding following the disposal of the body, police launched a nationwide search to locate them.

On Saturday, officers traced the couple to Kashimpur in Jiribam district, Manipur, where they were arrested.