Malda, Oct. 15 -- The decomposed body of a 55-year-old migrant worker was recovered from a pond at Kamanch village in the Mangalbari area of Old Malda on Wednesday night.
The deceased, identified as Sudam Mahato, was a resident of neighbouring Kamalpur village. The pond was located around two kilometres from his home.
According to sources, Mahato had returned home from another state about four days ago and had been consuming excessive amounts of alcohol since his return. He had been missing since Sunday, and his family members had searched for him in several places.
On Wednesday night, his relatives spotted his decomposed body floating in a pond and informed the police. Personnel from Malda Police Station recovered the body and sent it to Malda Medical College and Hospital for post-mortem.
His nephew, Dhiraj Mahato, alleged that the easy availability of country liquor in the area was pushing people towards addiction.
"We want our village to become free from addiction. The sale of country liquor must be banned in our village so that more families do not suffer such tragedies," he said.
Police have initiated an investigation, and the post-mortem report is expected to help establish the circumstances surrounding his death.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.