Udaipur: The bodies of an elderly couple who had gone missing from their home in Punawali village were found inside an iron trunk kept in a room of their house Friday morning, around 48 hours after they went missing.Laherilal Paliwal and his wife Radha Devi lived alone. Police said their bodies were found wrapped in polythene and placed inside the trunk, with bedding kept over them.The couple’s son, Manoharlal Paliwal, returned from Junagadh Thursday morning after learning that his parents were missing. He and other relatives stayed at the house, where family members and villagers continued to come and go. However, no one noticed the trunk kept in a room at the rear of the house.Police said the couple may have been killed Tuesday night. Their hands and feet were allegedly tied and they may have been strangled before their bodies were packed in polythene and placed inside the trunk.On Friday, the couple’s niece noticed a smell while mopping the room and informed the family. When the trunk was opened, Radha Devi’s body was found under the bedding. Laherilal’s body was found underneath hers.Police said jewellery kept in the house was found safe, leading them to suspect that the deaths were not linked to robbery. They are examining a possible property dispute or old enmity. The possibility of a contract killing is also being investigated.Family members and villagers initially refused to allow the bodies to be removed. SP Amrita Duhan appealed to them to cooperate with the investigation and said the circumstances would become clearer after the postmortem.
