Holi horror: 36-year-old woman hacked to death in Samrala

Before hacking the victim, Lakhbir Kaur, to death, the accused had attempted to strangle her with a piece of rope, police officials said, adding that there were no signs of forced entry, which suggests the victim knew her assailants

Holi festivities took a tragic turn after unidentified persons hacked a 36-year-old woman, who lived alone in a rented accommodation, to death at Dabbi Bazar in Samrala on Friday.

Holi festivities took a tragic turn after unidentified persons hacked a 36-year-old woman, who lived alone in a rented accommodation, to death at Dabbi Bazar in Samrala . (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Before hacking the victim, Lakhbir Kaur, to death, the accused had attempted to strangle her with a piece of rope, police officials said, adding that there were no signs of forced entry, which suggests the victim knew her assailants.

The victim’s brother Sukhwinder Singh of Ram Nagar, Tibba Road, said his sister had started living alone in a rented accommodation due to strained relations with her husband. Her 12-year-old daughter was living with her parents.

Sukhwinder Singh had found her lying in a pool of blood in her room when he came to wish her on the occasion of Holi at around 10am.

Inspector Hakam Singh, station house officer, said it did not seem like any of her possessions had been taken. “This suggests that the assailants had barged into her room with the intention to murder her. The assailants tried to strangle her with a piece of rope, and then hacked her to death with sharp-edged weapons. The body had multiple injuries on the neck, arms and chest.”

A murder case has been lodged against unidentified assailants at the Samrala police station. The police are scanning CCTVs in the area to trace the assailants.