Ghaziabad: Angered by wife leaving with jewellery, man murders mother-in-law

Two months ago, Singh’s wife left him for another man and also took with her all her jewellery. Pramohan maintained that Kusum was supporting her daughter

The Ghaziabad police on Friday took into custody a 30-year-old man who confessed to allegedly murdering his mother-in-law at her house in Chiranjeev Vihar on Thursday, police said on Friday, adding that the man was married to the woman’s older daughter since 2009. She recently eloped with another man and took along all her jewellery, and the suspect blamed his mother-in-law for what had happened.

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The police identified the victim woman as Kusum Singh, aged about 50, and said she was alone in her house on Thursday at the time of the murder. Her son, Aman Singh, gave a police complaint based on which an FIR under Indian Penal Code sections for murder and criminal intimidation was registered on Thursday, police said.

“My brother and I had gone to our offices on Thursday morning and my mother was alone at home. Around 11.55am, one of my relatives called me up and asked me to rush home. When I arrived, I found my mother dead. I suspect that my brother-in-law and sister connived with their accomplices to murder my mother,” Aman said in the FIR lodged at Kavi Nagar station.

The police reached the woman’s house and found her dead. “Her autopsy report indicated that she was smothered to death. We picked up her son-in-law, Pramohan Singh, for questioning. He was also seen entering the house in the CCTV footage along with another person. We are trying to ascertain the involvement of the other person but Singh has admitted to the murder,” said Abhishek Srivastava, assistant commissioner of police, Kavi Nagar.

“Two months ago, Singh’s wife left him for another man and also took with her all her jewellery. Pramohan maintained that Kusum was supporting her daughter. Further, he said it was he who purchased the jewellery. On Thursday, he visited Kusum to ask about the jewellery and there was some altercation over the issue. It ended with him smothering Kusum to death and fleeing the house,” the ACP said.

Police said that they have confession of the suspect as well as CCTV footage as evidence and Pramohan will be formally