In a shocking development in the Faridabad murder case, the investigators revealed that the woman was first raped by her father-in-law then killed by him and her husband and subsequently buried in a pit.
The victim, a native of Shikohabad in Uttar Pradesh’s Firozabad district, had been reported missing for nearly two months before her decomposed body was recovered on June 21 from a pit just outside her in-laws’ residence.
The woman had been married in July 2023 and was reportedly facing persistent dowry harassment. Her body was found buried beneath a concrete slab that covered a 10-foot-deep pit, which neighbours believed was being dug for drainage work.
Murder Was Planned, Pit Dug in Advance for Disposal of Body
According to the police, the gruesome crime was premeditated. The father-in-law, currently in three-day custody with the district crime unit, has confessed during interrogation. The plan was allegedly finalised on April 14, with the mother-in-law sent to attend a wedding in Etah, Uttar Pradesh, as a pretext to avoid suspicion.
On the night of April 21, the husband mixed sleeping pills into the food served to the victim and his sister. Once both women were unconscious in different rooms, the father-in-law entered the victim’s room and, according to his confession, raped her before murdering her. He did not disclose the sexual assault to his family at the time.
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After the murder, the father-in-law called his son, and the two allegedly wrapped the body and dumped it into a pre-dug pit outside their house. Neighbours had seen the pit being excavated using an earthmover days earlier under the guise of sewerage work. The pit was subsequently filled with bricks and soil, and a concrete slab was laid over it.
The father-in-law filed a missing person’s report on April 25, attempting to cover up the murder.
Victim Faced Dowry Harassment, Abuse Since Early Marriage
Following the discovery of the body, police registered an FIR against four members of the family — the father-in-law, mother-in-law, husband, and sister-in-law. Investigations are ongoing into the dowry harassment angle as a possible motive for the murder.
The victim’s sister revealed that the young woman had returned to her parental home just months into the marriage due to abuse and pressure for additional dowry. She alleged that the in-laws were dissatisfied with the dowry and continued to demand more money and gifts.
Police confirmed that the woman had suffered sustained abuse since her marriage and that the dowry demands were central to their investigation.
This case has added to growing concerns about crimes against women and the persistence of dowry-related violence in India.
