A grocer was arrested on Saturday for dowry death after he allegedly cremated his wife’s body without an autopsy being performed, officials said.
Police said they are questioning the accused, Chandan Singh of Kanaich village in Sahnewal, about the cause of death.
According to the complainant, the woman, Sapna, 27, died in mysterious circumstances and the accused did not even wait for the victim’s parents to cremate the body.
The deceased’s parents were coming from Bihar. The accused claimed that the woman died of snake bite, but he did not send the body for the post-mortem despite being asked by her parents.
Originally from Bihar’s Vaishali, Chandan runs a grocery shop.
The first-information report (FIR) was registered following a statement by Anil Kumar Singh of Purnia, Bihar, the victim’s father.
He alleged that the accused used to harass the victim for dowry. His daughter had shared her ordeal with him several times, he said in the complaint.
He added that he got a call from Chandan’s father Hari Chandar Singh on September 18, informing him that Sapna had died of a snake bite.
The complainant said he asked Hari Chandar Singh to send the body for a post-mortem and wait for them for cremation, but the accused did not do so.
{{/usCountry}}The complainant said he asked Hari Chandar Singh to send the body for a post-mortem and wait for them for cremation, but the accused did not do so.
{{/usCountry}}Sub-inspector Harmeet Singh, who is investigating the case, said the complainant alleged that the accused had murdered Sapna and cremated the body with the intention to dispose of the evidence.
The sub-inspector added that an FIR under sections 80 (dowry death) and 238 (tampering with evidence or providing false information to shield someone from legal consequences) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was registered against the accused.