Uttarakhand woman, lover held for mother’s murder over property dispute

Police said the woman allegedly conspired with her lover to kill her mother over a dispute involving ancestral land in Raiwala, Uttarakhand.

Police have arrested a 36-year-old woman and her lover for allegedly murdering her 65-year-old mother in Uttarakhand’s Raiwala over a dispute involving ancestral property, police said on Saturday.

Shilpa was arrested from Shaheed Bhagat Singh Colony on Saturday. Further investigation is underway in the case, Baluni said.

Superintendent of Police (Rural 1) Jaya Baluni said that the deceased, Khajani Devi, lived in a rented house in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Colony in Motichur’s Linepar, with her six-year-old granddaughter.

“Her son, Sanjay Pundir, lodged a complaint at the Raiwala police station on September 22, saying that his mother had been missing since Monday and the house was locked. At around 10.30 pm, he broke open the lock and found her dead inside the bathroom,” she said.

Police had registered a case under the relevant section of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against an unknown accused. “Following directions from the Dehradun senior superintendent of police Pramendra Dobhal, six teams were formed to investigate the case,” she said.

Baluni said the teams collected forensic evidence and analysed CCTV footage from the crime scene and surrounding routes. Police also activated their informant network in Raiwala, Rishikesh and adjoining areas.

The investigation revealed that Khajani had a dispute with her daughter, Shilpa Thapa, over ancestral land. “Police also found that Shilpa’s acquaintance and partner, Shiv Narayan Pandey alias Sonu, who worked in Mumbai, was near Khajani’s house before the murder. His phone was switched off after the incident,” she said.

Baluni said police searched around 500 hotels and guesthouses and examined footage from nearly 700 CCTV cameras, including those at bus stands and railway stations. “A tip-off led police to Shantikunj in Haridwar, where Pandey was arrested on Friday,” Baluni said.

“Shilpa had told Pandey that her mother and brother were repeatedly selling ancestral land without giving her a share. She also falsely told him that Khajani was her stepmother and promised that they could establish a household elsewhere after selling the land she would inherit,” Baluni said.

Pandey (39) was reportedly under financial pressure after suffering business losses and owed around ₹10 lakh despite having sold his house to repay earlier debts. “He was also facing pressure from creditors,” Baluni said.

Detailing the incident, Baluni said that Shilpa told Pandey about Khajani being alone between 8 am and 12.30 pm on September 21. “Pandey allegedly strangled her, locked the house and fled. He later hid at Shantikunj on Shilpa’s instructions,” she added.

Shilpa was arrested from Shaheed Bhagat Singh Colony on Saturday. Further investigation is underway in the case, Baluni said.