A 21-year-old woman was found murdered on the outskirts of Dharwad on Wednesday.
The woman, identified as Zakia Mulla, was a resident of Gandhi Chowk in Dharwad.
Zakia, who recently completed her paramedic course, left her house at 4.30pm on Tuesday to do some work related to a job application.
However, when she returned late in the evening, her anxious parents approached the Dharwad city police.
With Mansur Road listed as the last known location of her cellphone, family members and police searched until late Tuesday night without success.
But when they returned to the place again on Wednesday morning, they found a body nearby and also her mobile phone.
There was some confusion over the police jurisdiction of the place where the body was found, and after that was resolved, the Dharwad Rural Police launched an investigation. A dog squad was also put on duty.
Both Hubballi-Dharwad Commissioner of Police N. Shashikumar and Dharwad District Superintendent of Police Gunjan Arya visited the spot.
Gunjan Arya told reporters that the cause of death appeared to be prima facie strangulation. He said they have started an investigation and have assured the family members of the woman that they will bring the culprit to book as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, one of the family members told reporters that Zakia messaged them that she would send her location but she did not do so. After a long wait, they then contacted the police, he said.
Published – 21 Jan 2026 20:55 IST
