Ghaziabad murder: Woman wanted new life, says father-in-law

Jag Pravesh used to deal with hybrid dogs and had an office in Gurgaon. He often visited Uttarakhand, where he met Riya. He had committed suicide due to outstanding loans. Riya had also handed over the care of her minor daughter to her father-in-law, legally.

Riya Chakraborthy who became Rama Panwar after marrying Jag Pravesh Panwar in 2013 wanted to ‘start a new life and get married again’ after her husband committed suicide in 2015.

Riya moved out of her in-laws’ house and her father-in-law, who filed an FIR, said he had no information about where Riya was staying until he was informed by the police. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

Riya moved out of her in-laws’ house and her father-in-law, who filed an FIR, said he had no information about where Riya was staying until he was informed by the police.

Riya had also handed over the care of her minor daughter to her father-in-law, legally.

“She said that her husband’s suicide would affect her and her daughter’s lives. So, she got her daughter adopted legally and handed her to us. She knew we will take good care of her. She is presently five years old and studying in Nursery,” Chobh Singh Panwar, Riya’s father-in-law, a retired government officer, said.

Jag Pravesh used to deal with hybrid dogs and had an office in Gurgaon. He often visited Uttarakhand, where he met Riya. He had committed suicide due to outstanding loans.

“After my son’s suicide, she told me that she wanted to start a new life and marry again. She told that her parents in Rudrapur also wanted her to marry again. I consented and told her to stay for a year, after which I will get her remarried but she moved out and never returned. That was the last time I saw her. In all these years, we never knew she was staying in Ghaziabad,” he added.

The police sources said that Riya was good at sketching and had drawn a sketch of her and a man on the walls of her room. The police recovered photographs, a diary and will inspect her possessions for any lead.

“I don’t know the whereabouts of her parents. Even after the marriage, they hardly came to meet us. The police have asked me about a post-mortem examination,” Panwar said.

“Maybe, she never realised that she was our daughter-in-law, but we always remembered her as one of our family. I lost my son and now my daughter-in-law. I will perform her last rites myself,” he said.