Husband, not robbers, behind woman’s murder: Bareilly police

Bareilly: Days after a 23-year-old married woman was murdered, Bareilly police discovered that her death was not the result of a random robbery as initially reported. Investigations revealed that she was killed by her husband, Raj Kumar, with the help of a friend.
The incident occurred in the Shahi area of Bareilly district on May 14, when the victim, Hemlata, was returning home with Raj after visiting her parents.
Initially, Raj had claimed that they were ambushed by four robbers who looted Hemlata’s jewellery and shot her dead. The FIR in this case was initially registered against unidentified robbers. However, as the investigation progressed, several discrepancies emerged, leading the police to focus their attention on Raj as a prime suspect.
Hemlata had been married to Raj for nearly 10 months. Raj harboured suspicions that his wife was involved in an extramarital affair, particularly due to her frequent conversations with her brother-in-law over the phone, said police. During the probe, police found that Hemlata had not used her mobile phone for over a month prior to her death. Also, Raj’s statement regarding the incident did not align with the evidence found at the crime scene. Upon interviewing Hemlata’s relatives, the police found that Raj had expressed dissatisfaction with Hemlata’s use of her phone, particularly for creating reels for her social media accounts. He reportedly broke Hemlata’s phone and subjected her to physical assault just days before the incident.
Raj’s friend, Ram Bahadur, also came under suspicion in this case. When the police detained both Raj and Ram Bahadur for questioning, they confessed to their crime. Manush Pareek, Additional SP (South), said, “The case is being investigated using both scientific and circumstantial evidence. The family has expressed satisfaction with the police investigation. We have sent the accused to jail and will seek their custody remand for further investigation in the matter.”