Police in Nedre Eiker, outside Drammen, said Monday that they have no clues to the identity of a decomposed body found by a hiker in Mjøndalen over the weekend. The body, it turns out, is not that of a woman who’s been missing in the area for the past three years.
The grisly discovery on Sunday immediately set off speculation that the body of Belur Sardar, a mother of four who disappeared in May 2007, had been found. Her husband had reported her missing a full week after she was last seen in their home in Mjøndalen, and he was briefly held on suspicion of murdering her. He was later released, however, for lack of evidence.
Police sent the body that was found half-buried near a lake in the forest near Mjørndalen for autopsy. Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reported Monday that forensic experts had determined that it was the body of a man aged 20 to 40 years, and not the body of Sardar.
Now police have yet another case to crack. “We know nothing about the identity to the person whose body has now been found,” local sheriff Torill Sorte told reporters.
No other persons have been reported missing in either Mjøndalen or Nedre Eiker. Sorte said the police “now must conduct more investigation both in Norway and overseas, looking for men who are missing.” Police have set up a tips telephone line to aid in their investigation: (+47) 99 21 20 13.
Since the body was found partially buried, police suspect the deceased was a crime victim.
Sorte admitted police had hoped its discovery “would clear up a case (Belur Sardar’s disappearance) that has occupied us for several years. Instead we have another case on our hands.”
Views and News from Norway/Nina Berglund
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