A 23-year-old woman was reportedly abducted and murdered by the proprietor of a grocery store in Bareilly district, Uttar Pradesh, late on Sunday night.
According to police, family members of the victim, Lakshmi Devi, who lived in Sardar Nagar village in Bareilly, filed a report at Hafizgangj police station on Sunday evening after she was abducted. Despite efforts by the police to locate her, she remained untraceable until Monday morning when her body was discovered in a nullah in the Hafizganj area. She was later identified as Lakshmi.
“On Monday, we arrested the accused, 30-year-old Monu Gupta, and are also questioning his wife regarding this heinous murder,” stated Anurag Arya, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Bareilly. “The victim’s body exhibited at least six deep wounds, and her right hand and a finger were found amputated. It appears she raised her hand during the attack, resulting in the severing of her limbs by a sharp-edged weapon.”
In the First Information Report (FIR) filed at Hafizganj police station, Lakshmi’s brother Arun Kumar alleged that on Sunday around 7 pm, his sister and cousin Sapna were returning home when Monu Gupta and his wife intercepted them, persuading Lakshmi to accompany them in their car.
“Our investigation has revealed that Monu had been involved in an illicit relationship with the deceased for over a year, which led to discord between Monu and his wife,” added Mukesh Chand Mishra, Superintendent of Police (SP) for Bareilly (North). “Last year, Monu and Lakshmi were seen together near the collectorate in Bareilly, where Lakshmi’s family members assaulted Monu. Later, Monu’s wife also arrived at the scene and confronted him about his relationship with Lakshmi. While Monu has been arrested and sent to jail, his wife is currently being interrogated but has not been arrested yet.”