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Silvassa suitcase murder: Two months on, accused husband held in Varanasi
A senior STF official said the trail began on August 3, when Chhoti’s decomposed body was recovered from a suitcase at a rented accommodation in Tokar Khada under Silvassa police station
A murder accused who allegedly killed his wife nearly two months ago in Silvassa, the capital city of the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and concealed the body in a suitcase, was arrested from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh—over 1500 km away from the crime scene, said the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (UP STF).
Acting on a request from Silvassa Police, the UP STF nabbed Rishabh Kumar Singh of Nawada, Bihar, from the Manduadih area of Varanasi on Monday. Singh was wanted in a murder case registered at Silvassa police station after his wife’s body, Chhoti Upadhyay, was recovered from a suitcase nearly two months after the alleged killing.
A senior STF official said the trail began on August 3, when Chhoti’s decomposed body was recovered from a suitcase at a rented accommodation in Tokar Khada under Silvassa police station. The woman had been living there with Singh.
Singh allegedly killed Chhoti inside their rented room on June 9, wrapped her body in plastic, placed it inside a suitcase in the room and locked it before fleeing Silvassa. The crime came to light only after the landlord decided to rent the premises to another tenant. When the room was opened, the suitcase was found and police were informed.
Investigators found that Singh allegedly fled Silvassa and reached Varanasi where he began working as a labourer at Shubhkamna Realty Tech, LLP Industrial Estate in Chandpur, under Manduadih police station.
Silvassa Police received information that the accused was hiding in Varanasi and its adjoining areas and subsequently shared the intelligence with the UP STF, seeking assistance in locating him. A team of the STF’s Varanasi field unit, along with Silvassa police, began gathering ground intelligence about his movements.
On Monday, an intelligence input placed Singh near the industrial estate in Chandpur. STF and Silvassa police teams reached the location and arrested him.
During interrogation, Singh reportedly told investigators that he had a love marriage with Chhoti. The couple had left their homes to marry. According to the STF, Singh’s family was unwilling to accept Chhoti as their daughter-in-law, while Chhoti repeatedly pressured him to take her to his parental home, leading to frequent disputes between the couple.
After his arrest from Varanasi, Singh was produced before the chief judicial magistrate’s court, which granted transit remand.
