Haryana Woman Murdered, Body Burnt In Himachal To Hide Evidence

An investigation spanning two states has unearthed sensational details regarding the murder of a 32-year-old woman who had gone missing from Haryana's Ambala two days ago, with her partially-burnt corpse found around 100 km away in a forested stretch in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur district.

The probe began after a partially-burnt female body was recovered in the forests near a police battalion camp in Poanta Sahib subdivision, on Wednesday.

On the same night, one Sandeep Kumar, a resident of Janakpuri Colony in Barara area of Ambala district, was arrested in this connection near the Bata Pul area of Paonta Sahib following a joint operation by Barara police station, Ambala, and Sirmour police.

Police said the accused has confessed to the crime and investigations are underway to determine what led to the murder, police said.

Addressing the media in Barara on Thursday, Deputy Superintendent of Police Suresh Sharma said the woman, identified as Amandeep, was a mathematics teacher and provided private tuition to children in Ambala. Preliminary investigations indicate she was unmarried, and had been acquainted with the accused for few years. The accused, who is engaged in invertor repair business in Barara, had allegedly established a relationship with the woman -- concealing the fact that he was married.

According to police, on May 12, the woman left her home in Barara to collect her mother's medical reports from a local laboratory. Subsequently, she went missing. Her phone too was switched off, prompting family members to launch a search.

Investigation has revealed that the accused summoned Amandeep to a rented room in Ambala, where he allegedly murdered her by poisoning her cold drink.

Then, he packed the body in a large sack and with the motive of destroying evidence, decide to dispose off the body.

The DSP said Sandeep paid a cart puller Rs 100 to move the bag to his Swift Dzire car, which was parked outside the lane. During this process, the accused's suspicious movements were captured by CCTV cameras installed in the area.

The footage showed the accused moving up and down the stairs multiple times while carrying a heavy bag -- a visual evidence which helped unravel the murder mystery.

During interrogation, the cart puller claimed he knew nothing about the bag's contents.

However, investigation has found that while transporting the body on the cart, the accused was in the company of another individual. The police are currently investigating the identity of this accomplice. Following the disappearance, a case of kidnapping was registered against the accused in Ambala.

The victim was last seen heading towards an underpass near the Barara railway station in a CCTV footage.

According to police, the murder was committed in Barara. Subsequently, the accused traveled around 100 km to Sirmaur to dispose off the body in a dense forested stretch under Kolar panchayat of Paonta Sahib, located around 100 metres from National Highway-7.

He burnt the body with petrol in an attempt to prevent identification, and destroy evidence. The police have registered a case of murder and destroying evidence under relevant sections and are now identifying any other individuals who may have been involved in the crime.

The DSP said the accused will be produced before a court, and police remand will be sought to uncover the conspiracy and motive behind the murder.

DSP Sharma said the police apprehended the accused based on CCTV footage and technical evidence. He described the incident as a meticulously planned murder, noting that the accused attempted to transport the body to a different state and burn it to conceal the victim's identity.

The victim's family said after her father's death last year, the woman had been supporting her family by giving private tuition. She was living with her mother in Barara, and her earnings funded her mother's and younger sister's medication. 

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