Over a decade ago, her husband went missing, leaving her to live with her parents.
A woman received a wooden crate which she thought contained electrical goods for her new home. When she opened the crate, however, she found a dead body and a letter demanding Rs 1.35 crore.
The incident took place in Yendagandi village of Andhra Pradesh's West Godavari district. On Thursday night, the parcel arrived at the under-construction home of Naga Tulasi. According to the police, the wooden crate, delivered via autorickshaw, was presumed by Tulasi to be a shipment of electrical goods promised by a philanthropist who had earlier sent her building materials like tiles and paints.
Over a decade ago, her husband went missing, leaving her to live with her parents. She later moved to a rented house before starting construction on her new home, located about a kilometre away from her parents' residence. Tulasi had recently sought financial assistance to complete her new home. The philanthropist had previously supported her by sending construction materials. On this occasion, she was led to believe that the crate contained items like motors and other electrical appliances.
But upon opening the parcel, Tulasi was horrified to find a decomposed body - folded, wrapped in polythene, and packed tightly inside the wooden box. The body was that of a 45-year-old unidentified man, approximately 5'7" tall. Alongside the body was a chilling letter.
The letter claimed that Tulasi's missing husband had taken a loan of Rs 3 lakh in 2008, which had since compounded to Rs 1.35 crore. It further warned the family of dire consequences if the amount was not paid.
"So, if you don't want anything bad to happen, you should pay up,'" the letter reportedly read, according to police.
Tulasi's family immediately alerted the police, who moved the body to a government hospital for post-mortem examination. The police are looking into all missing person cases reported in the region over the past few days, as they work to establish the identity of the body.
Police are also questioning representatives of the Kshatriya Seva Samithi, a local organisation from which Tulasi had sought help for her house construction. Tulasi had submitted an application to the Samithi for financial assistance, and they had previously sent her construction materials. The police are probing whether the delivery of the crate was in any way connected to her requests.
"Bizarre case. We are hoping the post-mortem, identity of the dead man, how the parcel was delivered, and the handwriting in the letter will take our investigation forward," said West Godavari Superintendent of Police Adnan Nayeem Asmi.
Adding another twist to the story, Tulasi's brother-in-law has been missing since the day the parcel was delivered. The police are investigating whether his disappearance is connected to the body. The cops are not ruling out a property dispute angle.