Kolkata: The decomposed body of a 34-year-old woman, who had been missing for 23 days, was recovered from a dense forest on Henry Island in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district, the police said on Saturday. 

The deceased was identified as Rabia Fakir, and her body was recovered on Friday.

The police said the woman was allegedly murdered and buried under sand in the forest area of Henry Island in Bakkhali in an attempt to conceal the crime. Her alleged lover, Zahirul Sardar, has been arrested in connection with the case.

Rabia was a resident of Joynagar, coming under the jurisdiction of Bakultala police station. According to investigators, she was involved in an extramarital relationship with Zahirul, who also hails from the same locality.

The police said that differences had developed between the two recently. Rabia had gone missing on May 26, following which her family lodged a missing person complaint at Bakultala police station. The police arrested Zahirul on June 18 after the probe.

During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed to the crime. According to the police, he told the investigators that he had taken Rabia to Bakkhali on May 26 on the pretext of a trip to the seaside resort town. He then allegedly strangled her to death in a secluded area of Henry Island and buried the body under sand to destroy evidence.

Following the confession, teams from Bakultala and Fraserganj Coastal police stations took the accused to the spot on Friday and recovered the body. The remains have been sent to the Kakdwip Hospital morgue for post-mortem examination.

"Yesterday (Friday), the accused was taken to Henry Island to recover the body of the woman after he confessed to the crime during interrogation. The body has been recovered and sent for autopsy. The exact cause of death can be ascertained once the autopsy report arrives. Investigation is on to find out whether anyone else was involved in the incident," said a senior officer of Baruipur Police District.

Rabia's brother, Ashraf Fakir, alleged that Zahirul had lured his sister into a relationship before killing her and burying her body. He demanded strict punishment for the accused.