Agra: The body of a man, who was reported missing nearly 45 days ago, was found buried in the bathroom of his house in Agra. His wife has been arrested.
Ruby Sharma (40) allegedly killed her husband Surendra and then buried the body beneath the bathroom floor of their home and continued to live there for weeks while pretending he had gone missing.
While investigating the disappearance of the 44-year-old, the police found inconsistencies in the family’s statements and noticed suspicious ATM withdrawals, Hindustan Times reported.
The police finally dug up the bathroom of the house in Renuka Dham Colony in Agra’s Dehtora and brought out human remains believed to be that of Surendra. The remains have been sent for a post-mortem examination to determine the exact cause of death.
A missing person complaint regarding Surendra Sharma was registered at Sikandra Police Station on May 26, ACP Hariparvat Ameesha said.
“During the investigation, police found that his wife had killed him and buried the body in their house, covering it with concrete plaster. Legal action followed, the police broke the floor and recovered the body. After completing the inquest proceedings, the body was sent for post-mortem. The accused, Ruby Sharma, is in custody and being interrogated, with further legal steps underway,” the officer told ANI.
During interrogation, Ruby allegedly confessed to the killing. The police believe he was murdered on May 18.
Ruby allegedly told investigators that Surendra had been unemployed for some time and was an alcoholic. He frequently demanded money from his wife to fund his drinking and allegedly beat her when she refused.
The couple fought often, a neighbour told PTI.
The
couple had been married for around 16 years and had two daughters. Their primary source of income was the pension of Surendra’s late father, which was shared between Surendra and his brother, Anil Sharma.
It came to be known during the investigation that Ruby first mixed a huge amount of sleeping pills into a bowl of kheer and served it to her husband.
The couple’s daughters did not suspect anything unusual when they saw their father lying motionless on the bed, as they were accustomed to seeing him sleep for long hours after drinking alcohol.
Ruby killed Surendra after he lost consciousness, the police suspect. The post mortem report is awaited to know the exact cause of death.
Ruby allegedly dropped her two daughters at the house of Surendra’s brother the next morning and returned home alone.
It has been alleged that she then dug a pit in the bathroom of the house, buried her husband’s body beneath the floor, and sealed the grave with concrete before laying fresh tiles over it to conceal the crime.
Incidentally, Surendra’s brother, Anil, was the first to filed the missing person’s complaint, following which the police launched a search. Ruby also approached the police and reported that her husband was missing, helping sustain the impression that he had simply disappeared.
Anil later noticed suspicious activity in the family’s bank account. Surendra had been carrying the ATM card linked to the account into which the family’s pension was deposited. Even after he was reported missing, cash continued to be withdrawn from the account. That was when he called the police again.
The police began examining the family’s statements more closely and eventually focused their attention on the house. When officers broke open the newly tiled bathroom floor, they recovered a skeleton buried beneath the concrete.
Investigators are still trying to find whether Ruby acted alone, DCP Syed Ali Abbas said
Burying a body beneath the floor would have been difficult for one person, he said, adding that the police are investigating whether anyone else helped commit the murder or dispose of the body.
“It appears a tough task for a woman alone to get the man killed and get the body buried in the house itself. For now, we are still looking for linkages about anyone other than the woman involved in the crime,” he said.