Khandwa (Madhya Pradesh): A woman's naked body was found on Jaswadi Road in Khandwa on Saturday morning with her head crushed with a stone. Her scooty and empty liquor bottles were also discovered at the scene, leading police to suspect murder after possible rape.

The 38-year-old victim worked as a sweeper at a private school in Anand Nagar area. She was the sole breadwinner for her family as her husband is sick. The couple has three daughters.

According to her elder daughter, the woman went to meet her friend in Ramnagar area on Friday evening after work. The two women had a fight around 5 pm, which the victim told her daughter and niece over phone. When family members called her at night, she promised to return home by 8 pm but never came back.

Investigation launched

The body was found on a road connecting Bhandaria village to Jaswadi. Local people say drug addicts often move around this area at night. Police are investigating with help from forensic experts and dog squad teams.

The woman's body was sent for post-mortem examination at the district hospital. Police are waiting for the autopsy report to get more details about the cause of death and confirm whether sexual assault occurred, said officials.

SP Manoj Kumar Rai confirmed the body was identified and said this was a murder case, though rape had not yet been confirmed. Police have detained the friend, her husband and another person for questioning. Several suspects were also identified.