Woman goes missing after husband's death; kin suspect she ended life on his funeral pyre

Raigarh: A 58-year-old woman has gone missing following the death of her husband in Chhattisgarh's Raigarh district with her family members suspecting that she ended her life by jumping into the funeral pyre of her deceased spouse.

Police have registered a missing person's report and launched an investigation into the matter.

Jaidev Gupta (65), a resident of Chitkakani village in Chakradharnagar police station area, died due to cancer on Sunday following which his final rites was performed the same evening in the village, a police official here said.

Around 11 pm on Sunday, his wife Gulabi Gupta went outside their house without telling anyone. When she did not return for a long time, her family members launched a search for her, he said.

Later, her saree, slippers and spectacle were found near the cremation pyre of his husband. Based on these objects found there, her family members suspect that she allegedly committed suicide by jumping into the funeral pyre, he said.

A forensic team has collected samples from the cremation spot and sent them for examination, he said.

A missing person's case has been registered and further probe is underway, he added.