49-year-old woman found dead in Lathi, police confirm strangulation

Rajkot: Five days after a woman's naked body was found near a river bridge, the Amreli police found that she was strangled to death. However, the assailant has not been identified. The woman was later identified as Jamubai, a native of Mahrashtra.

The body of a 49-year-old woman was found under the Gangdiya river bridge in Lathi town of Amreli district on March 28. A forensic post-mortem confirmed strangulation as the cause of death. Following this, her husband, Gotya Fatya Rawatale (50), filed a complaint at Lathi police station under BNS Section 103(1) against unidentified individuals.

According to the complaint, Rawatale, a labourer from Pimpraani village of Nandurbar district, Maharashtra, stated that his wife left home on March 26, 2025, saying she was going to a hospital in Shahada for treatment. When she did not return, he, along with their son and other relatives, began searching for her. After failing to establish contact, he filed a missing person report at Maharashtra's Mahsavad police station on March 27 and even extended the search to Madhya Pradesh.

On March 29, the victim's brother, Dilipbhai, informed Rawatale that Lathi Police had discovered an unidentified woman's body near the river. A bag found at the scene contained a purse from a jewellery shop, which helped the police trace the victim's family. When her relatives arrived at Lathi police station on March 30, they identified the body as Jamubai's.

Investigating officer Sarthak Kumar Soni confirmed that the forensic post-mortem was conducted in Bhavnagar and determined strangulation as the cause of death. Police have seized various items found near the body and sent DNA samples for analysis.

Authorities are now investigating how Jamubai travelled from Nandurbar to Lathi, whom she met there, and who was last in contact with her.