Police have arrested Sonia Kumari, 22, on the charge of murdering her mother and then burying the half-burnt body at her house in Malakpur Kamboan village of Patiala district. The woman's lover, who helped her dispose of the body, has also been arrested.
Police said Sonia's mother Shakuntala Devi, 52, had been opposing the former's relationship with Kulwinder Singh, a native of the same village, and wouldn't allow them to marry.
Shakuntala's body was found on Sunday night, two days after the crime was committed, following a complaint by her sons Balram and Sohan Lal.
On Monday, investigating officer Ranbir Singh told HT that on June 5, Sonia laced milk with sedatives and gave it to her mother to drink, apparently to make her unconscious so that Kulwinder could come to the house.
But the duo later found that Shakuntala had died, the police officer said. He added that the accused confessed that they then burnt the body, dug up the kutcha (unpaved) lobby of the house and buried the body, covering it with mud and cow dung.
Sonia's brothers were out of town when the incident happened. Their father, Lal Chand, had strained relations with their mother.
In their complaint, they told police that they got suspicious after they found their mother's phone switched off, while Sonia told them that she (Shakuntala) had run away from home with Rs 55,000.
{{/usCountry}}In their complaint, they told police that they got suspicious after they found their mother's phone switched off, while Sonia told them that she (Shakuntala) had run away from home with Rs 55,000.
{{/usCountry}}Balram and Sohan Lal said they reached home and spotted the uneven floor. They called their relatives and informed the cops.
"When we dug up the spot, the half-burnt body of the deceased was recovered, following which both accused were arrested," the investigating officer said.
A case has been registered under sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence) of the Indian Penal Code.