Eloped UP couple found dead at hotel in Chandigarh

A 24-year-old man and his 17-year-old female friend were found dead in a hotel room here on Thursday, days after they eloped from Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. The police suspect that the couple ended their lives by consuming poison.

They youth has been identified as Arshad, a factory worker. His friend hailed from Begarazpur village in Muzaffarnagar district.

According to officials, the two had run away from home on August 18 after their families opposed their relationship on the religious grounds. The girl reportedly left home for school that day but never returned. A missing person complaint was lodged the following day with the Muzaffarnagar police.

Police sources said the couple checked into a hotel in Daria around 3 am on Thursday. Barely an hour later, both were found dead in their room. The hotel staff alerted the Daria police post. A police team arrived at the spot around 5 am and shifted the bodies to the mortuary for post-mortem examination.

Senior Superintendent of Police, UP, Sanjay Kumar, said, “The girl’s family had filed an abduction complaint against Arshad on August 19. We have initiated inquest proceedings and informed the Muzaffarnagar police about the deaths.”

Sources added that certain Hindu activists had exerted pressure on the Muzaffarnagar police to trace the couple.

According to the Daria police, a suicide note was found near their bodies. It reads, “As their families refused to marry them, they took this step on their own.”

“The bodies of the deceased have been handed over to their respective family members after the post-mortem, and further investigation is under way,” shared a senior officer of the Chandigarh Police.