Panipat trader, wife booked for murder of domestic help

Days after the body of a 19-year-old girl was found from the servant room of a house in Panipat’s Model Town area, police on Wednesday booked the owner and his wife for the murder.

The accused have been identified as industrialist Yogesh Wadhera, his wife Mamta Wadhera and their two daughters.

Deceased Pooja Rani was employed as housemaid by Yogesh about three years ago. Her body was recovered on Sunday night.

The police initially suspected it to be a case of suicide. After the postmortem report revealed that she was strangled to death, the police registered a case of murder.

Panipat Model Town police station in-charge Harvinder Singh said the couple and their daughters had been booked for murder and further investigation was on.

Meanwhile, family members of the deceased on Wednesday refused to cremate her body and held a protest demanding arrest of the accused.

They also tried to block the National Highway 44. They ended the protest after Panipat sub divisional magistrate (SDM) Veena Hooda assured them that the accused would be arrested soon.

Deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Satish Vats said police teams had been formed to investigate the case and the accused would soon be arrested. .

The deceased was daughter of migrant labourer Angad Singh, resident of Gonda district in Uttar Pradesh. While Angad and his family live in Idgah Colony of Panipat, Pooja was staying in Yogesh’s house for the past three years.

In his complaint, Angad said Pooja was working as housemaid at Yogesh’s house and his wife Mamta used to beat her up over trivial things.

Even, before her body was found, Pooja had made a call to him and told him that Mamta had beaten her up, he said.