A retired railway employee allegedly killed his 35-year-old live-in partner, stuffed her body into a metal trunk and set it on fire in Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi earlier this month. To destroy evidence, the accused reportedly dumped the ashes in a river before attempting to move the trunk to his second wife's house.
Investigations revealed that the accused, Ram Singh Parihar, led a double life. Parihar was married twice - his former wife lived in the Sipri Bazaar area, and the second in the City Kotwali area in the same city.
Parihar killed his live-in partner, Preeti, because she was allegedly demanding huge sums of money from him, having already taken lakhs of rupees, according to the initial investigation.
After burning the woman's body, Parihar collected the ash in sacks and threw it into a river to hide the crime. And to dispose of the rest of her remains in the trunk, he plotted to send it to the house of his wife, Geeta.
A Grisly Discovery
The crime came to light due to the alertness of a loader driver. On Saturday night, Parihar called his son from his second wife, Nitin. Then he hired a loader to transport the heavy blue trunk to Geeta's house. Nitin and a few of his friends accompanied the trunk. The driver, Jaysingh Pal, became suspicious of the trunk's contents and the behaviour of the men. After unloading the trunk, he called the police control room.
"I was hired for Rs 400 to move some luggage. I suspected something was wrong with the trunk, so I refused at first, but eventually brought it. My suspicion grew stronger once we arrived at the home, and I called the police," said the loader driver.
When the police arrived at the house and forced open the trunk, they were met with a gruesome sight: charred human remains, bone fragments, and coal-like substances.
"The police control room received a tip-off from a loader driver regarding a suspicious trunk. Upon inspection, human skeletal remains and burnt material were found. The alleged remains have been collected by the forensic team for further probe. The accused's second wife, Geeta, informed us that Parihar told her that he was being harassed for money by the woman he was living with. We have recovered evidence from the crime scene and have detained two individuals, including Singh's son. A hunt is on for the main accused," said Superintendent of Police (City) Preeti Singh.
Police believe the murder took place around January 8. Singh allegedly wrapped the body in a tarpaulin initially, later burning it inside the trunk. After the body was reduced to ash, he filled sacks with the remains and threw them into a nearby river, leaving only some bones and other remains in the trunk.
Surbhi, Parihar's neighbour, said that he had been collecting firewood for several days. "There was a strange smell a few days ago, but we thought he was just burning wood to stay warm in the cold," she said.
The Jhansi police have registered a case based on a complaint filed by the victim's former husband. While the son and another accomplice are in custody, the police are looking for the main accused.
With inputs from Vinod Kumar Gautam.
