Woman strangled, buried by father- in-law in Faridabad

The Faridabad police have arrested the father-in-law of a married woman in connection with her murder and subsequent burial in Faridabad. The accused, 54-year-old Bhoop Singh, a resident of Roshan Nagar, Faridabad, confessed to having strangled his daughter-in-law Tannu with her dupatta, then dumping and burying the body in a pit near the house.

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According to the Faridabad police spokesperson, preliminary investigations revealed that Arun Singh and Tannu were married in June 2023. A rift had reportedly been ongoing in the household since the marriage. On the night of April 21, the accused’s daughter and Tannu were both at home. Bhoop Singh’s wife had gone to Uttar Pradesh for a wedding function and his son Arun Singh was on night duty. His daughter had retired to her room on the ground floor after dinner, while Tannu had gone to sleep on the first floor.

“The same night, the accused went to Tannu’s room where he strangulated Tannu with her dupatta and killed her. He dumped the body in a pit in front of the house and covered it with soil so that no one could see it. In the morning, he called a mason and got the pit cemented also,” said the police spokesperson.

However, many questions are being raised about the police version. For instance, how did Bhoop Singh, a 54-year-old man, managed to transport the body from the first floor to the pit without making any noise or alerting his daughter? The motive behind the murder remains unclear, though the accused has cited general household conflict involving Tannu.

The accused was produced in a city court today and remanded to two days of police custody. “We are verifying the roles of other family members. The motive appears to be dowry-related, but further probe is underway. We are questioning the accused Bhoop Singh after being taken to police remand,” said Rajesh Kumar, ACP Sarai.

It may be noted that 24-year-old Tannu was allegedly murdered and buried in front of her house by her in-laws, who concealed the crime by reporting her missing. Tannu Kumar, a native of Shikohabad in Firozabad district, Uttar Pradesh, had married Arun Singh of Roshan Nagar two years ago.

The pit was dug up Friday morning in the presence of Naib Tehsildar Jaswant Singh and the woman’s body was exhumed.

The police have booked four family members from the in-laws’ side at Palla Police Station — Bhoop Singh, originally from Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh, his wife Sonia, son Arun Singh and daughter Kajal. The remaining three accused are currently absconding.