Mantasha's father identified her body after it was found beside the Delhi-Howrah Highway in Kanpur. Police are probing the family's murder suspicion and awaiting the post-mortem report.The family suspects that she was murdered before her body was abandoned along the highway. (Credits: Ranjay Kumar)Kanpur,Nov 7, 2026 14:57 ISTThe body of a woman found along the Delhi-Howrah Highway in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur has been identified as that of a gym trainer who lived with her father in the neighbouring Unnao district.The woman's family suspects that she was stabbed to death and her body dumped along the highway.
Police said the circumstances surrounding her death are being investigated.The deceased, identified as Mantasha, worked as a gym trainer at a fitness centre in Kanpur's Jajmau area. She lived with her father, Vijay Kumar, in Akhlaq Nagar in the Gangaghat area of Unnao.The family is originally from Kerala.
According to her family, Mantasha left home on Thursday morning to go to the gym but did not return. Her mobile phone was also switched off, following which her family members tried to locate her.Her father told police that the family lodged a missing person complaint at Gangaghat police station on Thursday after failing to contact her.BODY IDENTIFIED BY FATHER The family received information on Friday evening that a woman's body had been found near the highway in Kanpur's Maharajpur area.
After seeing the photographs and clothes, they identified the deceased as Mantasha.Her father, Vijay Kumar, subsequently reached Maharajpur police station on Friday night and confirmed her identity. Police had earlier circulated posters to establish the identity of the woman after the body was recovered.The family suspects that Mantasha was murdered before her body was abandoned along the highway.
Her father has also expressed suspicion against a young man known to her. Police are looking into the suspicion as part of the investigation.POLICE AWAIT POST-MORTEM REPORTAssistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Maharajpur, Ashutosh Singh, said the woman's body was found near the highway on Friday morning.
Police issued posters to identify her and later confirmed her identity after her father reached the police station.The officer said a missing person complaint concerning Mantasha had been registered at Gangaghat police station in Unnao. The body will be sent for post-mortem examination, and further action will be taken based on the findings of the report.Police have not yet disclosed the circumstances or the motive behind the woman's death.
The identity of the person responsible has also not been established.The investigation is underway, with police examining the family's suspicions against the young man and awaiting the post-mortem findings to determine the cause of death.- Ends