Asansol, Oct. 25 -- The investigation into the murder of 55-year-old Anita Devi in her JK Nagar residence has reached a crucial stage, with investigators awaiting a forensic DNA report to establish whether a deceased local mechanic was involved in the crime, police sources said.

Twenty days after Anita was found murdered on October 5, Raniganj police are yet to make a breakthrough. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is relying on comparative DNA analysis of evidence recovered from the crime scene and samples collected from Umesh Das, a garage mechanic from the same locality who was later found dead.

Five days after the murder, Das was found hanging near a Durgapur Projects Limited (DPL) quarter under the Coke Oven police station ...