19-year-old woman raped, killed by brother’s friend in Manesar

The accused and the victim were from Etah and Agra in Uttar Pradesh, and the brother-sister duo had been residing in Manesar for the past six years, police said

A 28-year-old man and his 30-year-old friend were arrested on Saturday for allegedly hatching a conspiracy and murdering the man’s 19-year-old sister for being in a relationship with a man from a different community, police said. They said the man roped in his friend to commit the murder and the friend had raped the victim before killing her.

Man conspired with friend to kill sister for relationship choice, police say

The accused and the victim were from Etah and Agra in Uttar Pradesh, and the brother-sister duo had been residing in Manesar for the past six years, police said.

Virender Saini, assistant commissioner of police (Manesar), said that upon learning of his sister’s relationship with a 24-year-old man from a different community, he sent her home to Etah on November 15 as she was adamant on marrying him. “However, she fled home on November 22 and came to Manesar again to live with her boyfriend,” he said.

At the brother’s direction, the friend contacted the victim and offered to help her elope with her boyfriend, entrapping her in the conspiracy, police said.

“On night of December 10, the friend contacted the victim and offered her help to elope with her boyfriend to marry him. The woman fell in the trap and came to meet him near Rampura Chowk. On the pretext of helping her, he took her to a remote open area in Gwalior, raped her and strangled her to death with her scarf. He also assaulted her when she put up a resistance,” the ACP said.

Police said the brother works as a cook in a hotel in Sector 86, and the friend works in a tyre shop. Both fled to their home towns after the incident and were arrested on Saturday.

An FIR under sections 103(1) (murder), 3(5) (common intention) and 61 (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered at the Manesar police station.

According to an initial probe, police said the friend contacted the brother after the murder and both of them hid her body amid the debris in the midst of a field.

A senior crime branch official privy to the investigation said, “They contacted her family and ultimately the brother. He misguided the police by suspecting that the boyfriend might have murdered her.”

Police said that crime branch officials detained the boyfriend as the victim was living with him after returning to Manesar. “However, he turned out to be innocent as detailed investigation indicated that the brother and his friend were present at the murder spot on the night of December 10,” the officer said.

Police said the brother had also visited to collect the sister’s body while they were quizzing the boyfriend.

“However, soon after the crime branch suspected the brother’s role, a team was sent to Etah to bring him to the city on pretext of seeking help with the investigation. He confessed to his and friend’s involvement in the murder after sustained interrogation,” a second crime branch official said.

Questioning the friend revealed that he had raped her before killing her, police said.

ACP Saini said DNA sampling, a potency test of the friend will be carried out and an autopsy report detailing injuries sustained by the deceased will be taken into consideration for corroborating the facts.