A 95-year-old woman was found murdered in a field in Daun Kalan, Punjab, on Monday, PTI reported. Officials said the victim, Kartar Kaur, was sleeping on a cot outside her house when unidentified persons allegedly carried her cot to a field, attacked her with a sharp-edged weapon and left her half-naked.

Her neighbour reportedly found her body after following a trail of blood. Police were investigating the possibility of rape, but ruled it out after further investigation. A murder case has been registered at the Patiala Sadar police station, The Times of India reported. An official said, "Rape charges will be added if the postmortem confirms it." Patiala superintendent of police (investigation) Harvinder Singh Virk suspects the involvement of some drug addicts in the area.

The Akali Dal-BJP state government has been accused of neglecting the state's drug crisis, and its law-and-order situation. A Congress delegation is scheduled to meet the governor to express its disapproval about the situation, NDTV reported.