Bhubaneswar: A major breakthrough has emerged in the case of a woman’s dismembered body found inside a suitcase aboard the Tamil Nadu Express, with Tamil Nadu Police identifying the deceased and tracing the alleged suspects to Odisha.

The deceased has been identified as Haidul Nisha, a resident of Paramakudi in Tamil Nadu. Police have identified an Odisha-based couple, Manik Uddin Laskar and Bhagmati Majhi, as prime suspects in the murder. However, the motive and exact circumstances surrounding the killing are yet to be established.

The Tamil Nadu Express had departed from Chennai Central for New Delhi on August 5 and reached Agra Cantonment Railway Station on August 6. Passengers travelling in the general compartment alerted railway officials after noticing a foul smell coming from a red suitcase.

When the suitcase was opened, Agra Railway Police found the headless and dismembered body of a woman inside it.

Following the discovery, Agra Railway Police, with assistance from Tamil Nadu Police, examined more than 350 CCTV recordings from Chennai Central and the Guduvanchery area.

The CCTV footage reportedly showed a man and a woman carrying the suitcase to Chennai Central and boarding the train. Police subsequently traced the suitcase to a rented house on Mosque Street in Guduvanchery.

The house was found locked when police reached the location. During questioning, neighbours reportedly said that two women and a man from Odisha had been staying there.

Police teams investigating the case traced the mobile phone signals of the suspects and found that they had allegedly fled to Odisha after the murder.

Tamil Nadu Police has formed special teams and three teams have been sent to Odisha to trace and apprehend the suspected couple.

Investigators are now working to establish the exact sequence of events leading to the murder, the role of each suspect and the motive behind the killing. The circumstances in which Haidul Nisha was allegedly murdered and her body transported aboard the train remain under investigation.