Kushinagar (UP), Dec 22 (PTI) The decomposed body of a woman was recovered from a sugarcane field here, 26 days after she was reported missing, with police saying that she was strangled to death by her alleged
lover.
According to police, the 40-year-old woman, a resident of the Nebua Naurangia area, had gone to the fields on the evening of November 26 but did not return. After searching for her for two days, her son informed the police about her disappearance on November 29.
Police then lodged a missing persons case in the matter, and her body was found on Sunday.
During the investigation, police found the role of a distant relative, Basant, from Piprahiya in the Ramkola area, to be suspicious. Upon visiting his house, he was found absconding, and his mobile phone was switched off, officials said.
Family members were also unable to provide clear information about his whereabouts.
Basant was traced and arrested from his house late Saturday evening. He denied any involvement during initial questioning but later confessed to the crime after sustained interrogation, police said.
The accused told police that he was in an illicit relationship with the woman but had recently grown distant. He claimed that she developed close relations with some youths from the village, despite his repeated objections.
He confessed that he called her to meet him on the village outskirts and strangled her to death before dumping the body in a nearby sugarcane field and fleeing, police added.
The decomposed skeletal remains were recovered from the field, and a forensic team collected crucial evidence from the spot.
Station House Officer of Nebua Naurangia, Deepak Kumar Singh, said the accused has been arrested, and further legal action is underway.
The remains would be sent for post-mortem examination and DNA testing to confirm identity, he added.
Singh said broken bangles and buttons were recovered from the scene, indicating that the woman struggled to save herself.
Police said Basant, who is her husband’s cousin, frequently visited her house and helped the family, during which the two developed an illicit relationship.
Call detail records revealed that the last phone call she made was to the accused, strengthening suspicion against him, they added. PTI COR KIS OZ
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