The victim’s face was badly smashed. A student identification card recovered from a bag found near the body established her identity.
According to police sources, Jyoti was murdered and then her body was thrown in Panchkula. A case was registered by the Panchkula Police on charge of murder after a complaint was filed by Buti Ram, father of the deceased.
Police officers said a handbag with clothes was recovered from near the body. Two mobile phones of Jyoti were reportedly missing.
Jyoti hailed from Hoshiarpur and was doing BEd at Shivalik Institute of Education and Research, Mohali. She had been living as a paying guest in Sector 21-B, Chandigarh, for the last six months. However, police officers said the parents of the deceased did not have a clue as to where Jyoti was staying and which course she was pursuing.
A police officer said three special teams had been constituted. While one team had been sent to Jyoti’s native village in Hoshiarpur, the second team was investigating the case in Chandigarh and the third one was scanning the scene of crime. A post-mortem of the victim will be held on Friday.