Kanpur, Jan. 24 -- The body of a 48-year-old woman was found in a semi-nude condition on Friday morning in the New Azad Nagar of Sen Pashchim Para in Kanpur, raising suspicion of sexual assault and murder. The deceased woman was a resident of Ram Ratan Nagar and her body was found lying in bushes near a gas agency, police said. According to the family, the woman had left home on Thursday evening saying she was going to attend a jagran near Uma Upvan. When she did not return through the night, her elder son went to the New Azad Nagar police post on Friday morning to report about his missing mother. He found the post locked and returned home, only to receive a phone call from neighbours informing him that a woman's body had been found nearby. He said he rushed to the spot and identified the body as that of his mother. "She had left home normally in the evening. We had no reason to suspect anything," he said. The condition in which the body was found has led the police to suspect sexual assault. Locals said the area around the gas agency is poorly lit and often frequented by individuals under influence of alcohol in the evenings. "There are frequent instances of abuse and misbehaviour here after dark," a resident said. On receiving information, police teams reached the spot and cordoned off the area. A forensic team was called to collect evidence, and the body was sent for post-mortem examination. DCP, Kanpur South Deependra Nath Chowdhary said further action would be taken after the post-mortem report is received. "An FIR was being registered and all angles are being examined," he said. Police said they were questioning locals and securing the CCTV footage for screening.htc...