Tempted by jewellery, couple murder pregnant woman

GREATER NOIDA: Gautam Buddh Nagar police on Monday arrested a couple in connection with the murder of a 23-year-old pregnant woman, whose body was found stuffed in a suitcase at NH-24 in Ghaziabad, around five months ago.

According to police, Mala (23), had married to one Shivam against her parent’s wish. She went missing from home from 7 April while her body was found stuffed in a suitcase at NH-24 in Ghaziabad on 10 April. Mala’s father mentioned in her complaint that she was five months’ pregnant when she was killed.

Following the crime, the deceased’s parents lodged a complaint against her husband Shivam, and accused him of killing her for not bringing enough dowry. Police then detained Shivam and registered a case of dowry death against him but as police failed to gather enough evidences against him, he was granted bail.

However, the police did not make any headway in the case even after five months. Subsequently, special teams were formed and the police zeroed in on a couple – Saurabh Divakar and his wife Ritu - who were living in same house where Mala lived on rent in Haibatpur village of Greater Noida.

After detailed investigation, the police found that accused Ritu got tempted after Mala showed her jewellery and expensive clothes which she got in her marriage.

“Mala and Ritu lived at different floors in the same house. On 6 April, Mala’s cousin Mohit visited her house along with his wife to meet her. She showed them the ornaments and dresses which she got in her marriage. Somehow, Ritu also saw them and got tempted,” said Ajay Pal Shamra, Senior Superintendent of Police, Gautam Buddh Nagar.

The officer said that Ritu then told her husband about the jewellery, following which the couple hatched a plot to murder Mala and steal her jewelleries.

“On April 7, the accused couple called Mala to her rented house, when she was alone at home, and strangled her to death with a towel. They then reached her house, stole the jewellery, mobile phones and dresses and stuffed her body in a suitcase which was gifted by her parents at the time of her marriage.

The accused then loaded both the bags, containing the body and jewellery, in an auto and Ritu went to her parent’s home in Vijay Nagar area of Ghaziabad with the bag of jewelleries while Saurabh moved ahead in the auto rickshaw and dumped the suitcase containing the body in Kanawani area of Indirapuram near NH-24” added Sharma.