Autopsy confirms Noida man was murdered, wife accuses her family of honour killing

The victim’s family had thought that he had killed himself and were on their way for the last rites when Noida police was told by the victim’s neighbours that it may have been a murder. At the same time, the daughter told the family that she had seen two men assault her father and then hang him.

The autopsy report of a man thought to have killed himself, whose body had been recalled to Noida from Bulandshahr on Sunday after his four-year-old daughter had claimed that two men had hanged him, has confirmed that the victim was murdered. A case of murder has been registered against the victim’s in-laws at the Phase 2 police station based on his wife’s complaint, who claimed honour killing to be the motive.

The dead man, Santosh Raghav, was found hanging on the terrace of his house in Noida which led his family to think he had committed suicide. (Representative photo)

Santosh Raghav (31), from Bulandshahr, was found hanging on the terrace of his rented accommodation in Sector 93 on Saturday night around 8.30pm by his wife Mamta, after she came home from work. Santosh has been working as an electrician and the couple had two children, a four year-old daughter and a two-year-old son. Santosh and Mamta, from Badaun district in Uttra Pradesh, had a love marriage seven years back.

Santosh’s family had thought that he had killed himself and were on their way to Bulandshahr for the last rites when Noida police was told by the victim’s neighbours that it may have been a murder. At the same time, the daughter told the family that she had seen two men assault her father and then hang him. Based on the girl’s statement, the family had informed the police and the body was recalled to Noida for an autopsy.

“It seems that he was first assaulted and then strangled. His body had been hung on the terrace to make it look like a suicide,” Azad Singh Tomar, station house officer, Phase 2 police station, said.

He added that the wife has filed a murder case against her mother, father and three brothers besides two unknown persons (who came to their house on Saturday).

“They have been booked under Section 302 (punishment for murder) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC. We are interrogating them and due action will be taken soon,” the SHO said.

He said the family lives in Bhangel. “Santosh also used to live near them in Bhangel and had moved to Sector 93 only a fortnight back,” the officer added.

Santosh’s family called it a case of honour killing alleging that the victim’s in-laws had objected to their wedding.