In what is being suspected to be an honour killing, a 25-year-old woman in Bengal was shot dead by her younger brother in the wee hours of Tuesday. The alleged killer "hated" the victim's boyfriend, local people said. The incident took place at Rishra in Hooghly district.
“Nitu Singh was allegedly killed by Amit, her younger brother. The accused is absconding. Investigation is on,” said a senior officer at Serampore police station. According to local people, Amit was last seen boarding a train at Rishra station.
Nitu's family told the police that she was having an affair with an army personnel for quite a few years. Amit, it is alleged, was against this relationship because he didn’t like her sister’s fiancée. The siblings used to have altercations over this issue, local people claimed. The family however refused to reveal more.
“I never thought my son could do this. My family is shattered,” said Umesh Singh, a businessman who, along with his elder son, runs a shop in central Kolkata. Since Amit, a school dropout, used to virtually live the life of a vagabond, his father had kept him out of the business.
“I was woken up by the sound of a gunshot. I rushed to Nitu’s room and saw Amit running away. Nitu was lying in a pool of blood. I didn't actually see Amit killing my daughter,” said Singh.
{{/usCountry}}“I was woken up by the sound of a gunshot. I rushed to Nitu’s room and saw Amit running away. Nitu was lying in a pool of blood. I didn't actually see Amit killing my daughter,” said Singh.
{{/usCountry}}Although the police didn’t rule out the possibility of an honor killing, officers said they were looking into other probable motives.
“Whether it was out of hatred that Amit killed his sister or there was a dispute over property is something to be investigated. We are looking for Amit. Members of the family will be questioned,” said an officer.