DHANBAD: In a disturbing incident under the Govindpur police station limits, a woman’s half-burnt body was recovered from her house, with her brother claiming he attempted to cremate the body inside the bathroom after neighbours allegedly refused to help, police said on Monday.The deceased has been identified as Lipika Kumari (36).The incident took place in a residential colony at Vastu Vihar. The house reportedly belonged to Sangeet Kumar, a retired scientist of the Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research (CIMFR), who passed away in 2023. Lipika, his divorced daughter, lived there with her brother, Pranav Rajvardhan (50). Another brother resides with his family about 2 km away in a different locality.Local residents claimed that Lipika was suffering from depression and that Pranav also had mental health issues. Over time, the family had become increasingly isolated from the community and rarely interacted with neighbours. Police, however, declined to confirm these details, stating that the cause of death and other aspects would be clarified after the post-mortem.According to local sources, Lipika died on the night of April 7. Pranav allegedly informed neighbours about her death, but they reportedly did not believe him or offer assistance.Police said that, in a state of panic, the brother attempted to cremate the body inside the bathroom. Suspicion arose after a foul smell began emanating from the house, prompting neighbours to alert the police on Monday. Pranav has not been taken into custody so far.“Police recovered the half-burnt body from the flat. It has been sent for post-mortem. Further action will be taken based on the report,” said Vishnu Rout, officer-in-charge of Govindpur police station.
