4 found dead in Bareilly, Barabanki; suicide suspected

LUCKNOW: Four people were found dead in mysterious circumstances in villages of Barabanki and Bareilly districts on Monday.

In Barabanki, a 21-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman were found hanging from a tree in a village under Kothi police station. The duo was hanging from the same branch of the tree.

Similarly, in Bareilly, a man in his early 20s was found hanging from a tree, while a woman was lying dead on the ground, just two feet away.

Police said all the bodies were sent for post-mortem examination.

Confirming the incident in Bareilly, superintendent of police (rural) Dr Satish Kumar said, “The body of a 24-year-old man was found hanging from a Banyan tree. A 20-year-old woman was found dead on the ground below. Both of them were identified as residents of a nearby village.”

The man was hanging by an ‘angaucha’ (used for wrapping around head), said police. The woman had marks around her neck. Based on preliminary investigation, local police have claimed that the two committed

IN BOTH THE INCIDENTS, COUPLES ALLEGEDLY COMMITTED SUICIDE FOLLOWING OBJECTIONS FROM THEIR FAMILIES OVER THEIR RELATIONSHIP

suicide.

No formal complaint was lodged, but the local police registered a suo motu complaint and initiated investigation. A field unit was also sent to the spot for evidence collection.

Police sources the duo was romantically involved for over a year against the wish of their parents. “Their families didn’t approve of the relationship, as they belonged to different castes,” local police officials said. “The couple even eloped in early June, but their families managed to locate them and bring them back,” they added.

Sources said a few weeks later, the woman’s kin reportedly married her off to another man from Shahjahanpur district. She returned to her home last week to take part in a family function.

A police team has detained the woman’s elder brother for interrogation. Members of both families have also been summoned for questioning.

“We are awaiting the postmortem report and inputs of the field unit to lodge an FIR,” said the SP Bareilly. Meanwhile, a team of Kothi police station is interrogation the family members of the deceased.

“The man and the woman were distant relative and lived in adjacent villages,” said Adarsh Kumar, additional superintendent of police (south) Barabanki.

“Prima facie, the couple was romantically involved and committed suicide following objections from their families,” he added.