Gr Noida: Cops probe woman’s death after in-laws burn body

The woman’s family have alleged that her in-laws killed her and a case under sections of murder has been registered against seven identified people, including her husband, in-laws and their friends

An investigation is on into the death of a 22-year-old woman whose body was seized by police from the road side while her in-laws were burning it by a roadside in Greater Noida, said police. In the only arrest made in the case so far, a neighbour was arrested on Saturday.

“On April 7, the woman died under mysterious circumstances at her in-laws’ home. Hours before her death, she made two distressed calls to her brother informing him that her in-laws were assaulting her,” said the officer quoted above. (Representational image)

The incident took place on April 7. “Prima facie, it was suspected that the woman died by suicide following a dispute with in-laws. However, her husband and in-laws attempted to conduct her last rites illegally without informing the police,” said Jitendra Kumar, station house officer, Dadri.

The SHO said the woman’s family have alleged that her in-laws killed her and a case under sections of murder has been registered against seven identified people, including her husband, in-laws and their friends. They are currently absconding and efforts to trace them are underway, said police.

However, the cause of death has yet to be established. The autopsy did not reveal the cause of death, as the body had been burnt more than 50%, police said. “To determine the exact cause of death, the viscera has been preserved,” said an official aware of the investigation.

A 22-year-old man, a neighbour who allegedly provided kerosene oil and accompanied her in-laws while she was being burnt, was arrested from Dadri on Saturday, said police.

Preliminary investigation showed that the woman from Sector Mu-2 in Dadri had married a 25-year-old man from Ghodhi Baccheda locality on February 17.

“On April 7, the woman died under mysterious circumstances at her in-laws’ home. Hours before her death, she made two distressed calls to her brother informing him that her in-laws were assaulting her,” said the officer quoted above.

The woman’s family, who currently live in Meerut, then travelled to Greater Noida, where they learnt she had died and she was at the hospital. However, at the hospital, they were told that the in-laws had already taken the body.

Her brother alerted the police and a team located her in Greater Noida, where her in-laws along with their accomplices were burning the body with kerosene oil. “We recovered the half-burnt body and sent it for post-mortem,” the officer added.

Speaking to HT, the woman’s elder brother alleged, “If my sister died by suicide, her in-laws should have informed locals and the police. But they burnt her body illegally on the roadside to erase evidence. My sister was being assaulted by her husband and in-laws over our property, in which she had a share. They were pressurising her to transfer it to their name.” These allegations however have yet to be established, police said.

On Sunday, woman’s family conducted her final rites at Garh Mukteshwar.