Uttarakhand: Mining worker arrested for killing 48-year-old woman

Nainital senior superintended of police (SSP) Pankaj Bhatt said that on Wednesday, the police team arrested one Manoj Puri, a native of Bareilly from Diber Tiraha Gorapadav

Uttarakhand’s Nainital police on Wednesday arrested a mining worker for allegedly killing a 48-year-old woman in Haldwani. Police said the woman, identified as Nandi Devi, who ran a general store, was killed by the man for refusing to sell beedi on credit.

HT Correspondent (Representative Photo)

Nainital senior superintended of police (SSP) Pankaj Bhatt said that on Wednesday, the police team arrested one Manoj Puri, a native of Bareilly from Diber Tiraha Gorapadav. The incident took place on the night of May 4.

During interrogation, Manoj told the police that he had gone to Devi’s shop on May 4 to buy a bundle of beedis and asked for a credit. However, when she refused, Puri abused the woman and later left the shop. On the night of May 4, he reached Devi’s house with a hammer and hid in the courtyard, Bhatt said.

Around 2:30am, when Devi woke up to go to the bathroom, the accused hit her on the head with a hammer five to six times, said the SSP. He also strangled her with a scarf and later dragged her to the bathroom and immersed her head in a water tub, he added.

“The accused stole clothes, mobile, money etc. from Devi’s house and fled. Two days after the murder, he gambled at Gaula Gate, where he lost money. Then he went to Bareilly on Tuesday,” said the SSP.

The incident came to light when on May 5, Rohit Mehra, Devi’s son-in-law came to meet her and found her dead body, following which he reached the police station and got a complaint registered.

The SSP said that the police have recovered the hammer used in the crime, the victim woman’s mobile and other important documents from the possession of the accused, adding that a case under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered.