After nearly five years of investigation, authorities in Chhattisgarhs Korba city have successfully excavated a skeleton believed to be that of news anchor Salma Sultana Lashkar, who was allegedly murdered in October 2018 by her live-in partner Madhu Sahu and his two associates, triggered an 11-hour operation to unearth her remains from beneath a national highway.The victim, a news anchor for a local news channel in Chhattisgarh, was 30 years old at the time of her reported murder. She was believed to have been killed by Madhu Sahu, a 37-year-old gym instructor and her live-in partner, along with the aid of two of his accomplices. The group allegedly buried her body at a secluded site that eventually became part of the national highway infrastructure.Chattisgarh local news #anchor #SalmaSultana was murdered by her live-in-partner and his two associates in #Korba in October 2018. After 5 long years, police arrested the three accused. pic.twitter.com/JyJ57N502G— Madhuri Adnal (@madhuriadnal) August 22, 2023The skeleton, discovered eight meters beneath the surface, was found bound at the legs and wrapped in a blanket. The skeleton was recovered after an intensive operation which took almost 11 hours.In an effort to confirm the identity of the remains, Superintendent of Korba district, IPS Uday Kiran, said, “We will collect DNA samples from the skeleton and DNA samples of her mother and siblings. These samples will be sent for DNA analysis to the forensic lab to ascertain if the skeletal remains belong to the victim.”The elaborate investigation drew upon advanced technology such as satellite imagery and ground penetration radar technology, provided by NIT Raipur.“We wanted a pinpoint location as digging the highway would cost heavy losses. So we made use of satellite image and ground penetration radar technology, provided by NIT Raipur, to find out the spot where soil consolidation is poor due to digging done while burying the body. We also made use of Google Earth to see where the trees were, which helped us ascertain the body was in that five-metre stretch,” a senior official involved in the investigation said.News Anchor Salma Sultana was brutally killed by her BF and live-in partner Madhur Sahu along with his friends Kaushal and Atul Sharma back in 2018. They had buried her body in a vacant plot where Highway is built over it now. Case solved after 5 years. Will this case get… https://t.co/lGj3awxidR— Drunk Journalist (@drunkJournalist) August 22, 2023Chhattisgarh journalist murdered by live-in partner due to trust, financial issuesSalmas first met with her alleged murderer, Madhu Sahu, back in 2018. The pair shared a romantic relationship and were residing together in Korba city. However, issues of trust and financial disputes reportedly strained their relationship. On October 21, 2018, a confrontation led to Sahu allegedly strangling Salma with a stole. His accomplices, Kaushal Shrivas and Atul Sharma, allegedly assisted in burying the body at a secluded location near Kohadiya Bridge.“Sahu strangled her with a stole and Kaushal helped him,” an official said.Subsequently, construction for a national highway commenced at the same spot a year later.
