A widow, a dispute, a tragedy: Etawah murder mystery cracked

Etawah, April 12 (IANS) In a shocking case in Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh, a woman was brutally murdered over a land-related financial dispute.

The body of Anjali, a widow and mother of two, aged between 28 and 30, was recovered in a mutilated state on Saturday near the Chambal river. She had been missing for the past five days.

According to the police, the accused even made a video call after the murder to show the victim’s body to his father and wife.

Earlier, on Thursday, Anjali's burnt scooter was found in a drain near the ITI crossing in the Civil Lines police station area.

Despite repeated appeals from her family to the Friends Colony and Civil Lines police stations, “no significant action was initially taken”.

As the situation escalated, a case of abduction and charges under the SC/ST Act were filed at the Civil Lines police station against Shivendra, Surendra, and Gaurav.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sanjay Kumar Verma stated that upon receiving the missing complaint, a dedicated investigation team comprising SP City, CO City, Kotwali police, and a surveillance unit was formed.

During the investigation, the suspects - Shivendra alias Surendra and his associate Gaurav - were taken into custody for questioning.

During interrogation, both confessed to the crime. They revealed that Anjali had been demanding her money back persistently, which led them to call her over, make her consume alcohol, and then strangle her to death using a gamchha (towel).

Later that night, they threw her body off a bridge into the Yamuna River.

Based on the information provided by the accused, police and NDRF teams launched a search operation and successfully recovered the body.

The family confirmed the identity of the deceased as Anjali. Police have also recovered the gamchha, which was used to strangle her, the Tata vehicle used in the crime, and the burnt scooter.

Both Shivendra alias Surendra and Gaurav have been arrested, and legal procedures for their imprisonment are underway.

As the case falls under the SC/ST Act, the investigation is being conducted by an officer at the Circle Officer (CO) level, and appropriate legal actions are being ensured.

--IANS

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