Tired of marriage questions, man kills 'lover' cousin, burns body
What's the story
The Delhi Police have cracked a gruesome murder case of a live-in couple.
The investigation started after a charred body was discovered inside a suitcase in the Ghazipur area on January 26.
Deputy Commissioner of Police East, Abhishek Dhania, confirmed the discovery saying, "We received a PCR call at around 4:10am informing us about a burnt body."
The victim's age was estimated to be between 20-35 years based on forensic analysis.
Investigation breakthrough
CCTV footage leads police to suspects
Initially, the investigation had no leads other than the burnt remains. However, a breakthrough was achieved when police examined CCTV footage from the area where the suitcase was found.
They spotted a suspicious Hyundai Verna crossing the area hours before the discovery. Tracing the car's registration took them to a Loni resident who had sold it to Amit Tiwari, a 22-year-old cab driver from Ghaziabad.
Murder confession
Suspects in custody reveal chilling details
Tiwari was arrested along with his friend Anuj Kumar, a welding mechanic who was also seen in the footage.
During interrogation, Tiwari named the victim as his cousin Shilpa Pandey, with whom he had been in a live-in relationship for a year.
He confessed that on January 25, after an intoxicated argument, he allegedly strangled Pandey in a fit of rage and then called Kumar for help in disposing of her body.
Crime cover-up
Body disposal and arrest
Tiwari and Kumar stuffed Pandey's body into a suitcase and first planned to dump it in Western Uttar Pradesh. However, after crossing two checkpoints, they chose a location closer to Delhi.
They reached Ghazipur and set the suitcase on fire to destroy evidence.
Both men were arrested after they confessed during the investigation, with the police informing the victim's family.
Case progress
Ongoing investigation and family notification
Pandey's family in Surat, Gujarat, has been notified of her tragic demise.
The Delhi Police have constituted four teams to further probe this chilling murder case.
The motive behind the murder seems to be their relationship status, as Pandey wanted to marry Tiwari, but he planned to call it quits.
This resulted in frequent arguments between them, one of which tragically turned into the alleged murder.