Woman killed by lover’s kin for refusing marriage

Accused set body on fire to make identification difficult

DE08 girl

A 26-year-old woman was found murdered, her body partially burnt, in south-east Delhi’s Khijrabad village on Saturday morning. The accused, victim’s boyfriend’s brother-in-law, was arrested for allegedly strangulating her to death after she refused to marry the lover, the police said.

The victim, Mithu Das, a native of West Bengal, was first strangulated to death allegedly by Sarat Das, 43, who then tried to dump her body near a secluded area. He then set the body on fire to make identification difficult.

Was a frequent visitor

According to the police, Mithu and Sarat’s brother-in-law Madan Das were in a relationship for a few years, but the victim had allegedly refused to marry him.

“Mithu was a frequent visitor of their house as they’re all from the same village. On Friday, she visited them in the afternoon and when she was leaving after dinner, an argument over the issue of marriage broke out and Sarat strangulated her in a fit of rage,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (south-east) Romil Baaniya.

After the body was found, for the initial few hours, it remained unidentified. However, when the CCTV footage of the area near the crime scene was obtained and examined, the police saw a man carrying the body and then fleeing the spot after a few minutes. With the help of local intelligence, he was later identified as Sarat.

“Camera was installed in one Sandeep’s house which helped in solving the case. The accused was identified based on his clothes, physical appearance and gait,” said Mr. Baaniya.

Madan’s role under lens

The police said that Mithu’s boyfriend Madan wasn’t present in the house when the incident happened. However, the police is probing his involvement. “Interrogation is on and so far, Sarat has claimed that Madan wasn’t present but we’re investigating whether he has any role to play in commission of crime,” said the DCP.