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‘Crime of passion’ shocker from Punjab: Man killed female friend, then got her face tattooed on his chest
Investigators have recovered a suitcase, the knife believed to have been used, and the car that was used to move the body.
Two days after the semi-burnt body of a 22-year-old woman was discovered inside a suitcase near Bathinda in Punjab, the district police on Friday arrested her friend, Prince Kumar, in connection with the case. It has also been revealed that after the killing, which they described as a “crime of passion”, the accused got a photo of himself with the woman tattooed on his chest.
Investigators have recovered a suitcase, the knife believed to have been used, and the car that was used to move the body.
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What happened?
The victim was from Baghapurana in neoghbouring Moga district and had been living in Bathinda. The accused is a 35-year-old unemployed man who was reportedly dealing with substance abuse.
He allegedly stabbed her to death in the early hours of February 9 at his house in the Surkhpeer area, as mentioned in an earlier HT report.
Police said Prince kept the body at his house for two days. He then tried to burn it before placing it inside a suitcase.
On the intervening night of February 10-11, he allegedly threw the remains in fields near Behman Diwana village along the Bathinda-Fazilka national highway.
The exact motive is still being ascertained.
The senior superintendent of police (SSP) said Prince lived alone and no one else was involved.
Police said that after the killing, Prince got a photo of himself with the woman tattooed on his chest.
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How did police catch the accused?
The breakthrough in the case came after CCTV footage from the Parasram Nagar area showed the victim together with Prince on February 7. This was the last time she was seen alive.
Technical examination of her phone records led police to question 15 suspects. They later identified him as the accused.
The SSP said the woman's personal life was filled with struggles. She had married against her parents’ wishes and was living separately from both her husband and the accused when she died. Her family has not yet come forward to claim the body.
Sources told HT that the body had four to five deep stab wounds. Police refused to share more details about her personal life to protect her privacy.
