Confinement, CCTV vigil, bad touch fuelled altercation: Live-in partner
Woman accused of engineer’s murder claims she acted in rage after the man mistreated her daughters, who helped overpower him before the attack
LUCKNOW Fresh revelations have added disturbing layers to the murder of 33-year-old engineer Surya Pratap Singh whose body was found in his Green City home in Lucknow on December 7. His live-in partner, Ratna Devi, 49, the prime accused, stated during questioning that she slit his throat because he frequently assaulted her daughters. Furthermore, she alleged that on Sunday night, he inappropriately touched her elder daughter, which provoked a violent altercation that culminated in his death, stated Lucknow police.
Surya allegedly kept the woman and her daughters confined, monitoring them through three CCTV cameras in the house, with live access on his phone, read an official statement.
But investigators believe the killing was not an impulsive act born out of a single night’s anger. Police said the crime appears to have been brewing for months, fuelled by allegations of surveillance, control, domestic conflict and a deepening dispute over property ownership.
According to police, Ratna told them that Surya had long been behaving inappropriately with her elder daughter. On the night of the murder, he allegedly dragged the girl into a room after seeing a photograph of a male friend on her phone. Hearing her screams, Ratna and her younger daughter rushed to the spot. “When he opened the door, both my daughters held his hands and pushed him to the ground and I ran to the kitchen, fetched a knife and attacked his throat in a fit of rage,” she confessed to the police.
The daughters, aged 15 and 17, reportedly helped overpower Surya before Ratna made multiple blows to his throat. The family then returned to another room, leaving Surya bleeding on the floor, police said. Police have taken both the minors under protection.
A police probe has revealed household conflicts marked by restrictions imposed by Surya on Ratna’s daughters. Investigators found that the girls were not allowed to use social media or watch reels. “He had once forced the elder daughter to quit her studies and reluctantly allowed her to rejoin Class 12 this year after repeated disputes,” said BBD SHO Ram Singh.
Surya and Ratna had been living together for nearly two years in the house in Green City, Salarjung, which became the centre of repeated fights. Police said the plot was purchased by Surya, while the construction was financed by Ratna using money she received after her husband’s death. “This mix of financial contributions led to frequent clashes over property rights. Ratna reportedly wanted the house transferred to her name. Surya resisted, deepening the rift,” said BBD police.
The deceased’s father, Narendra Singh, alleged that the murder was part of a planned conspiracy to grab Surya’s property. He said the relationship between his son and Ratna was nearly a decade old. It began in 2012 when Surya, then a polytechnic student, used to tutor Ratna’s daughters. At the time, Ratna was living separately from her “alcoholic and abusive husband”. Her husband’s death in 2014 brought Surya closer to the family, and she soon convinced him to live with her, Singh claimed. Surya built the house in Salarjung two years ago, after which Ratna and her daughters moved in permanently.
Narendra Singh claimed that Ratna and her daughters “lived lavishly” on Surya’s income from his job as an executive engineer with a private firm. He said Surya had denied being in a relationship, and the family had been searching for a bride for him. “He spoke to me on Sunday afternoon and even sent money,” the father said. The family has lodged a case against Ratna and both her daughters, alleging pre-meditated murder motivated by the intention to seize the house.
