Jhansi (UP), Jan 19 (PTI) A 33-year-old woman was hacked to death with an axe allegedly by her live-in partner, who then burnt her body inside a large trunk to conceal the crime, police said on Monday.
The brutal murder came to light on Sunday following the alertness of a loader driver while the accused were attempting to dispose of the remains, police said.
Police have arrested the main accused, a retired railway employee, Ram Singh Parihar (63), along with his second wife, Geeta (50) and son Nitin (19) for assisting in destroying evidence. According to police, Parihar, a resident of Nandanpura, had married Geeta while his first wife was still alive and was living with her and his children in the Sair Gate area.
About 10 years ago, he developed a relationship with Preeti Ahirwar (33), the wife of Rajkumar.
Preeti, who worked at the residence of a railway officer, left her husband and three children and began living with Parihar in a rented house in Brahmnagar, Sipri Bazaar.
Addressing a press conference on Monday, Senior Superintendent of Police BBGTS Murthy said police received information early on Sunday morning about a suspicious trunk containing goods.
Upon inspection, partially burnt human remains were found inside. During the investigation, Nitin disclosed that he had brought the trunk from his father’s house to hide it and that it contained the remains and ashes of Preeti, who had been living with his father.
During questioning, Geeta told police that Parihar had killed Preeti after frequent disputes over money, as she was allegedly demanding large sums from him.
Later, Parihar confessed that he had been living with Preeti illegally for the past 10 years, but tensions arose after he suspected her of talking to another man who owned a beauty parlour.
He told police that on January 8, after consuming alcohol, an argument broke out between the two over money, following which he attacked her with an axe and killed her.
Two days later, he placed the body in a trunk and set it on fire. While attempting to dispose of the ashes with the help of his son, they were caught after the loader driver grew suspicious and alerted others, police said.
On a complaint filed by the victim’s former husband, Rajkumar, a case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Sections 103(1) (murder), 238(a) (causing disappearance of evidence of an offence) and 61(2)(a) (criminal conspiracy).
All three accused are being sent to jail, Murthy said.
The SSP praised the role of the loader driver, saying he would be honoured with a commendation certificate, and announced a reward of Rs 25,000 for the Sipri Bazaar police team for cracking the case within hours.
He added that although the victim has been identified based on circumstances and evidence, samples from the remains have been sent for DNA examination, along with the post-mortem, to confirm the identity. PTI COR ABN HIG
