A 17-year-old girl was murdered by her uncle and half-brother in Meerut’s Lohianagar area after they suspected her of being involved in a romantic relationship. According to the police, the duo strangled her to death, carried her body on a motorcycle, and dumped it in a mango orchard five kilometers from their home. The mother’s uncle was arrested, while efforts are still underway to track down and arrest the fugitive half-brother.
The victim, a resident of Humayunnagar, was reported missing on Friday evening. Her body was discovered in a mango orchard in Narhada village on Saturday morning, prompting a major police investigation.
According to Deputy Inspector of Police Abhishek Patel, the police received information that the body of a teenage girl was dumped in the orchard. Lohianagar police and forensic team reached the spot and started investigation.
Police examined CCTV footage from the roads leading to and from Narhada village, which helped investigators identify the suspects. The police then interrogated the victim’s father, Javed, and her uncle, Sartaj, residents of Zakir Colony.
During interrogation, Sartaj allegedly confessed that he and the victim’s brother, Soob, strangled her around 11pm on Friday. The duo then allegedly took the body to the orchard and hid it in the bush at around 3am.
Sartaj told investigators that the family was upset by the victim’s frequent phone conversations and online conversations, police said. Tensions reportedly escalated after she left home without informing her family two months ago.
He claimed he tried to counsel her, but claimed her continued use of the phone led to the fatal attack.
At the time of the incident, the victim’s father, Javed, and his wife, Shahjahan, were reportedly visiting their relatives.
Police also found strangulation marks on the victim’s neck, and believe she was assaulted before she was killed.
