UP Cops Dig Out Skeleton Buried 10 Months Back, And Uncover Chilling Crime

At 11 pm yesterday, most of Kanpur was preparing to sleep. But at Tikwapur village, a group of cops and workers was braving the chills for what would lead to a startling discovery. The headlights of police vehicles and torches on their phones were on to help the workers plough the ground near the village tower. Seven feet under the ground, a skeleton was found. The bones told a tale of love, obsession, hatred, and betrayal.

Whose Skeleton Is It?

The skeleton, police have said, belongs to Reshma, a 45-year-old mother of seven. Reshma, it is alleged, was murdered by her lover, Gorelal, about 10 months back. Her son Babloo had been looking for her and asked Gorelal. He replied, "Your mother won't return." Babloo initially thought he was joking, but then Gorelal kept evading replies. Babloo became suspicious and filed a missing persons complaint on December 29. Gorelal has now been arrested in a case of murder.

A Death, And An Affair

Reshma's husband, Rambabu Sankhwar, died three years ago. The couple has four sons and three daughters. Following her husband's death, Reshma started a relationship with Gorelal, her neighbour. Soon after, she left her children and started living with Gorelal. Upset over her decision, Reshma's children severed their ties with her.

A Wedding, And A Son's Search

Babloo was not in touch with Reshma but sent her an invite to a wedding in the family on November 29. Reshma didn't turn up, and this made Babloo suspicious. He went to Gorelal's home and asked him about Reshma. "Your mother will never return" was Gorelal's response. Babloo kept asking him, but he evaded a clear reply. Eventually, he approached the police.

A Chilling Revelation

After Babloo registered the complaint, police took Gorelal into custody and started questioning him. Eventually, he broke. He told the cops that in April last year, he and Reshma fought. Gorelal wanted to get rid of Reshma and asked her to move in with her relatives. Reshma refused, and this led to frequent quarrels. During one such quarrel, Gorelal choked Reshma to death. For two days, he kept the body at home and thought of ways to dispose of it.

Initially, he planned to throw it in a canal but decided against it because the body would float to the water's surface in a few days. He then decided to bury it in a deserted place in the village. He blurted out the location during interrogation, leading to the chilling recovery. Reshma's bones have now been sent for forensic examination.

What Police Said

Deependra Nath Chudhary, Deputy Commissioner of Police, said Babloo had registered a missing persons complaint for his mother, Reshma, and said he suspected Gore and two others of killing her. "Police started an investigation, and the accused was brought to the police station and questioned. Gore admitted to the crime. He said Reshma's husband died three years back and that he was Reshma's brother-in-law," he said. The senior cop said that when Gore said Reshma "won't return", her relatives became suspicious. "We have recovered the skeleton, and her relatives have identified it by her jewellery and clothes. The skeleton has now been sent for postmortem and DNA testing," he said.

Inputs by Arun Agarwal