Cousin among 2 held for woman’s murder

A woman’s charred body found stuffed in a suitcase, a tangled web of personal relations and a car stopping twice at police checkpoints led the Delhi Police to the accused behind a heinous crime committed in the early hours of Republic Day in East Delhi.

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The police received a PCR call on January 26 at 4:10 am about a burnt suitcase dumped on the roadside near Shivaji Road (Khora Road), between Ambedkar Chowk and Kerala Public School, IFC Paper Market, Ghazipur.

“On reaching the spot, the police found a body inside the suitcase. A forensic team conducted a thorough inspection and the body was sent to LBS Hospital for post-mortem examination,” said DCP (East) Abhishek Dhania.

“The police checked the CCTV footage of the area and identified a car that appeared suspicious. They tracked down the car registration number to a Loni resident. He told the police that he had sold the vehicle around two months ago,” the DCP said.

Through technical surveillance, the police apprehended a cab driver, identified as Amit Tiwari (22), from Greater Noida. During interrogation, Amit confessed to the crime.

Amit identified the body as that of his cousin, Shilpa Pandey (22), with whom he was in a live-in relationship since November 2024. According to the police, Shilpa had pressured Amit to leave his family and marry her, threatening to falsely implicate him and his family.

On January 25, an argument escalated in their rented accommodation. In a fit of rage, Amit, who was drunk, strangled Shilpa to death around 8-8:30 pm.

The DCP said Amit used a suitcase, which he had kept for traveling to his hometown in Prayagraj, to conceal the body. With the help of his friend Anuj Kumar, alias Bhola (20), a welding mechanic, Amit purchased fuel from a petrol pump and planned to dump the body in western Uttar Pradesh.

However, after encountering two police checkpoints, they feared getting caught due to heightened security for Republic Day and upcoming Delhi elections. They decided to abandon the suitcase near the busy Ghazipur market area.

The duo poured petrol over the suitcase and set it on fire. After committing the crime, Amit dropped Anuj home and returned to Greater Noida, where his car was checked again at a police post.

The duo had been arrested and further investigation was underway, the police said.