Jhansi: A search is on for a retired railway employee, twice married, who allegedly killed his 35-year-old live-in partner before stuffing her body into a metal trunk and setting it on fire in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh.
The incident came to light after he attempted to move the trunk to his second wife’s house with the help of their son.
Investigation has revealed that Ram Singh Parihar was married twice – his former wife lived in the Sipri Bazaar area, and the second in the City Kotwali area.
Parihar is accused of killing his live-in partner, Preeti, because she was allegedly demanded huge sums of money from him, having already taken lakhs of rupees.
He apparently put her body in the trunk, placed firewood, before setting it on fire. He then collected the major portion of the remains, put them inside sacks that he threw into a river.
The incident may never have come into light had a loader driver not alerted the police of a suspicious trunk he had moved.
Parihar apparently called his son from his second wife, Nitin, on Saturday night. He had already hired the loader driver to transport the heavy blue trunk to his second wife Geeta’s house.
Nitin and a few of his friends accompanied the trunk. The driver, Jaysingh Pal, became suspicious of the trunk’s contents and the behaviour of the men. After unloading the trunk, he called the police control room.
“I was hired for Rs 400 to move some luggage. I suspected something was wrong with the trunk, so I refused at first, but eventually brought it. My suspicion grew stronger once we arrived at the home, and I called the police,” the loader driver has been quoted as saying by NDTV.
When the police reached the house and forced open the trunk, they found charred human remains, bone fragments, and coal-like substances.
“The police control room received a tip-off from a loader driver regarding a suspicious trunk. Upon inspection, human skeletal remains and burnt material were found. The alleged remains have been collected by the forensic team for further probe. The accused’s second wife, Geeta, informed us that Parihar told her that he was being harassed for money by the woman he was living with. We have recovered evidence from the crime scene and have detained two individuals, including Singh’s son. A hunt is on for the main accused,” Preeti Singh, SP (City), Jhansi, said.
The murder took place around January 8, the police suspect. Singh is suspected to have wrapped the body in a tarpaulin initially, later burning it inside the trunk. After the body was reduced to ash, he filled sacks with the remains and threw them into a nearby river, leaving only some bones and other remains in the trunk.
Parihar’s neighbour Surbhi said that he had been collecting firewood for several days. “There was a strange smell a few days ago, but we thought he was just burning wood to stay warm in the cold,” she said.
The Jhansi police have registered a case based on a complaint filed by the victim’s former husband. While the son and another accomplice are in custody, the police are looking for the main accused.
