Burnt body in suitcase, cousins' love affair: How cops uncovered ghastly murder in Delhi

On January 26, Delhi Police officers found a completely charred body in a mangled condition inside a car

A charred body of a woman was found stashed in a suitcase in Delhi's Ghazipur area on Monday, which revealed a ghastly story of murder triggered by a complicated live-in relationship.

Delhi Ghazipur murder: Initially unidentifiable, it was later confirmed to be the burnt remains of a woman.(PTI)

On the morning of Sunday (January 26), Delhi Police received a call about a suspicious suitcase found in a desolate area of Ghazipur.

Upon investigation, the officers found a completely charred body in a mangled condition inside a car. Initially unidentifiable, it was later confirmed to be the burnt remains of a woman.

DCP East Abhishek Dhania earlier told ANI, that the body was completely burnt. Forensic evidence estimated the victim's age as 20-35 years.

"We received a PCR call at around 4:10 am informing us about a burnt body. On reaching the spot, we found the body completely burnt and the body has yet not been identified... Based on forensic evidence, it can be said that the deceased is between 20-35 years of age. Four teams are investigating...," he said.

How a CCTV camera footage led to arrest of prime accused

According to an NDTV report, the police initially had no leads apart from a completely burnt body that was beyond recognition; however, thorough monitoring of CCTV camera footage led to a breakthrough when police noticed a suspicious Hyundai Verna crossing the area several hours before the body was discovered.

Tracing the car’s registration number, police were led to a Loni resident, who revealed he had sold the car to a man named Amit Tiwari.

Amit Tiwari, a 22-year-old cab driver living in Ghaziabad, was soon then taken into custody. Along with him, his friend Anuj Kumar, a welding mechanic, was also arrested after being spotted in the CCTV footage.

The 'cousin' love angle

During interrogation, Amit identified the burnt body as that of his 22-year-old cousin, Shilpa Pandey, who he was in a year-long-live-in relationship.

However, things turned sour when Amit tried to break up with her. Shilpa, desperate to marry him, allegedly pressured Amit and threatened to implicate him and his family in false cases.

After constant fights, a deadly confrontation occurred between them on the night of January 25, when Amit, intoxicated, got into a heated argument with Shilpa. In a fit of rage, Amit allegedly strangled her to death.

He then contacted his friend Anuj, who helped him dispose of the corpse. Both the accused then packed Shilpa’s lifeless body into a suitcase and set off to dispose of it.

Ghazipur murder: Accused crossed two police checkpoints with Shilpa's dead body

Initially, Amit had planned to drive to Western Uttar Pradesh to dump the body, but after crossing two checkpoints, he decided to abandon the plan and find a location closer to Delhi.

The two men eventually reached the secluded Ghazipur area, where they set the suitcase on fire in an attempt to destroy the evidence.

Police have arrested both the accused and Shilpa's family has been informed about the incident. Currently, four Delhi police teams have been formed to probe the chilling murder.