Probing into the discovery of a woman’s body in a plastic bag on the Kharar-Ropar highway on August 21, police have arrested a Bihar native, an accomplice of her absconding lover.
Police said the prime suspect, Pankaj Kumar, and his cousin, Nitish Kumar, who has been arrested, strangled the victim, Sanjana Devi, after sedating her.
“They killed her at their house in Badmajra on August 15. After she died, they tied up her hands and feet with a rope, packed the body in a plastic bag and dumped it on the highway,” said Navjot Singh Mahal, senior superintendent of police (SSP), Mohali.
The crime came to fore after passers-by notified the police about the foul-smelling plastic bag.
Victim had eloped with accused in Feb
During investigation, police traced the victim’s husband, Subodh Sharma, to Bihar.
He revealed that Sanjana had eloped with Pankaj in February, and had also taken their two sons, aged nine and six, along.
Since then, she and the children had been living with Pankaj and Nitish in different places in Mohali, including Phase 1, Badmajra and Balongi.
{{/usCountry}}Since then, she and the children had been living with Pankaj and Nitish in different places in Mohali, including Phase 1, Badmajra and Balongi.
{{/usCountry}}Nitish was arrested from Balongi following a raid, while Pankaj remains at large.
During questioning, Nitish revealed that his cousin was no longer interested in Sanjana, and wanted to get rid of her and her sons.
Before her murder, he left her two sons at different undisclosed locations in the wee hours of August 15. “Police teams were working to trace the children and nab Pankaj,” said the SSP.
The accused are facing charges under Sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code.