Club dancer’s murder solved after 7 months; accused held from Surat
Accused dumped victim's body in bushes behind the cremation ground to conceal her identity and destroy evidence
The Panchkula police have solved the seven-month-old mystery surrounding the skeletal remains of a woman found behind the Sector-20 cremation ground in December 2025. The murder accused was arrested from Surat, Gujarat.
During the initial investigation, the police found that the accused allegedly murdered the woman, a club dancer, and dumped her body in bushes behind the cremation ground to conceal her identity and destroy evidence.
Sector-20 SHO Inspector Sombir Dhaka said that on the intervening night of December 22 and 23, 2025, the police received a Dial-112 call reporting a woman’s skeletal remains behind the Sector-20 cremation ground. A police team reached the spot and shifted the remains to the mortuary at Civil Hospital, Sector 6. A board of doctors conducted the post-mortem on December 26.
During the examination, the police recovered a slip from the victim’s clothes, while the words “Inder I love you” were found written on her wrist. Investigators said these became crucial clues in establishing the victim’s identity.
During the investigation, the police traced Vicky Sharma through the website mentioned on the recovered slip. On December 30, 2025, Sharma and the victim’s live-in partner, Inder, arrived at the mortuary and identified the deceased as Madhuri, alias Simran, alias Tiddi, based on her clothes, a red jacket and the writing on her wrist. Following the identification, the body was handed over to the family for the last rites.
On January 15, 2026, Vicky Sharma lodged a complaint at the Sector-20 police station. Sharma, a DJ based in Zirakpur, stated that he had known the deceased and her live-in partner, Inder, for several months, and that both worked at club parties.
According to the complaint, Simran had left for a club party on the night of November 13, 2025, but never returned. Despite extensive searches, she could not be traced. After the police recovered the skeletal remains, the victim was identified.
The complainant also told police that on the same night he had received Rs 450 through Paytm from a person identified as Manoj Kumar Pal. When contacted, Pal allegedly told Sharma that he had dropped Simran near Patiala Chowk in Zirakpur. Based on this, Sharma suspected Pal of murdering her.
Panchkula DCP Srishti Gupta said that based on the complaint, a case was registered at the Sector-20 police station. Following sustained efforts, the Sector-20 police arrested Manoj Kumar Pal on July 2, 2026. Pal, a resident of Gonda district in Uttar Pradesh, was working as a motorcycle mechanic in Ganesh Nagar, Surat, Gujarat. The police recovered a Vivo mobile phone from his possession. Pal was produced before a court in Surat, transit remand was obtained, and he was brought to Panchkula on the night of July 3.
According to DCP Gupta, during interrogation the accused made significant disclosures. Pal allegedly confessed to killing Simran by smothering and strangling her before dumping her body in bushes behind the Sector-20 cremation ground. He also disclosed that a motorcycle registered in the name of one of his relatives had been used in the crime.
