‘WOMAN BURNT ALIVE BY FAMILY MEMBERS OVER INTER-FAITH RELATIONSHIP’

LUCKNOW : A woman was burnt alive by her family members over an inter-faith love affair in Dhanghata area of Sant Kabir Nagar district in eastern Uttar Pradesh on February 3-4 night, the police said on Monday.

Superintendent of police (Sant Kabir Nagar) Kaustubh said the police arrested four people, including the woman’s father, her brother, her brotherin-law and a relative on the charge of murder. The police recovered the container in which the accused had stored petrol and a motorcycle allegedly used in the killing. The police have launched a manhunt to nab the contract killer allegedly hired by the family to kill the woman, he said.

LUCKNOW: A woman was burnt alive by her family members over an inter-faith love affair in Dhanghata area of Sant Kabir Nagar district in eastern Uttar Pradesh on February 3-4 night, the police said on Monday.

Superintendent of police (Sant Kabir Nagar) Kaustubh said the police arrested four people, including the woman’s father, her brother, her brother-in-law and a relative on the charge of murder. The police recovered the container in which the accused had stored petrol and a motorcycle allegedly used in the killing. The police have launched a manhunt to nab the contract killer allegedly hired by the family to kill the woman, he said.

The police had recovered the half-burnt body of a woman at Jigina village under Dhanghata police station limits on February 4. The identity of the woman could not be ascertained at the time. Police teams were constituted to work out the case. The photo of the deceased was circulated in the media.

With the help of the local police, surveillance, CCTV footage, field unit and dog squad, the body was identified as that of a woman of Jitwarpur village under the Belghat police station limits in the neighbouring Gorakhpur district, the SP said.

The police arrested the father, a retired armyman, on the charge of killing her. During interrogation, the father told the police that his daughter was having an affair with a married Muslim man, according to the police. Earlier, his daughter had eloped with the man, but returned only to continue the relationship, despite her family’s objections, he said, according to the police. The father, with the alleged assistance of his son-inlaw, hired an alleged contract killer, according to the police. He handed over Rs 1.50 lakh to the alleged contract killer to eliminate his daughter, the police claimed.

On February 3-4 night, the father took his daughter to a deserted spot at Jigina village in Sant Kabir Nagar district, the police said. The contract killer and the other accused also arrived at the spot. When the woman raised an alarm, the accused tied her hands and put a cloth over her mouth, the police added. As she became unconscious, they put jute bags on her and set her afire after pouring petrol on her. The accused fled from the spot thereafter, the SP said.