Uttarakhand: 2 held for murder of 25-year-old woman on Haridwar–Najibabad highway

The charred body of Seema Khatun, a resident of Udham Singh Nagar, was found on the Haridwar–Najibabad highway in Uttarakhand on October 18

Haridwar: Two people were arrested in connection with the charred body of a 25-year-old woman, which was found on the Haridwar–Najibabad highway in Uttarakhand on October 18, police said on Friday.

They took the body to a secluded plot near Gazivali and poured diesel over the body and set it on fire to prevent identification. (Representative photo)

According to the police, the deceased, Seema Khatun, a resident of Udham Singh Nagar, was in a relationship with Salman Khan (30), from Kashipur in the same district.

Investigations revealed that Salman murdered Seema following a heated argument inside a truck container and later set her body on fire with the help of his accomplice, Mehroonisa (53), to destroy evidence. “Seema and Salman were travelling in the truck on October 17 when a quarrel broke out. Salman strangled her to death and, with Mehroonisa’s help, took the body to a secluded plot near Gazivali. They poured diesel over the body and set it on fire to prevent identification,” superintendent of police (crime) Jitendra Mehra said.

As there were no identification documents or immediate clues found at the crime spot near Gazivali village, police examined CCTV footage of more than 300 vehicles that passed the highway that day. “A white container truck was spotted moving suspiciously near the area and was traced to Udham Singh Nagar,” an officer said.

During the probe, Mehroonisa was found to be the last person seen with Seema.

Mehroonisa was arrested from Kashipur on October 22. “She broke down during interrogation and said that she assisted Salman in the crime. Mehroonisa bore a personal grudge against Seema, who had earlier tipped off police about her son’s involvement in drug peddling,” the officer said.

Police arrested Salman Khan from Rasiabad on the Uttarakhand-Uttar Pradesh border late Thursday night, along with the vehicle used in the crime.

Both accused have been booked under sections 103(1) (murder), 238(A) (causing disappearance of evidence), and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).