An 18-year-old Muslim woman and a 19-year-old Dalit man were killed in Uttar Pradesh’s Basti district in a suspected hate crime, police said on Monday. The woman’s three brothers have been arrested in connection with the case.
According to the police, the incident came to light on Saturday when Ankit Gautam’s body was recovered from a sugarcane field.
Preliminary probe revealed that Gautam, a tractor driver, was in a relationship with the daughter of his employer. The woman’s family did not approve of the relationship, said assistant commissioner of police (Basti), DN Chaudhary.
According to Gautam’s brother, Sandeep, the woman’s brothers — Irfan and Irshad, Irfan and Ishrar — called Gautam for a meeting on Friday, and never returned home. His body was recovered from a field the next morning. It was later found that the woman, too, had consumed poison. On Sunday, the woman’s body was exhumed.
Doctors have confirmed that Gautam died due to strangulation while the woman consumed a poisonous substance, he added.
On the basis of Sandeep’s complaint, the three accused were booked under sections 302, 201, 34 of the IPC and 3(2) (V) of the SC/ST Act and arrested on Monday. The woman’s father is absconding, said Chaudhary.
{{/usCountry}}On the basis of Sandeep’s complaint, the three accused were booked under sections 302, 201, 34 of the IPC and 3(2) (V) of the SC/ST Act and arrested on Monday. The woman’s father is absconding, said Chaudhary.
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