GHAZIABAD: A 42-year-old electrical contractor was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly murdering his former wife after persuading her to take a Haridwar trip with him and disposing of the body in a forest in the Uttarakhand city.
Virendra Sharma alias Sonu, a resident of Bhojpur, admitted to killing his former wife Madhu Sharma (41) to evade paying her monthly maintenance ordered by a family court, police officials said.
Gyan Prakash Rai, ACP (Modinagar), said the case began when the woman's sister - Manju Sharma - filed a missing person's report on Jan 23. Madhu, according to the complaint, had left for her workplace - a boutique in Raj Nagar - around 9.30am on Jan 21 but never returned. Her mobile phone was switched off, she added.
On Jan 31, Manju filed another complaint, suspecting Virendra's involvement in her sister's disappearance. Police then registered a case under Section 140 (1) (kidnapping or abduction with intent to murder) of the BNS and launched an investigation.
Police received a tip-off, and arrested Virendra from Saunda Road on Wednesday. His Maruti Swift (UEN-9706), in which the accused had taken Madhu to Haridwar, was seized.
During questioning, Virendra revealed he had married Madhu in Dec 2002, but they separated two years later. The couple was granted a unilateral divorce in July 2014 after years of legal battle.
Madhu, subsequently, filed a maintenance case in a Ghaziabad family court. In Sept last year, the court ordered Virendra to pay her Rs 6,000 a month and around Rs 5 lakh in arrears.
"To avoid these payments and eliminate the financial burden, Virendra planned to kill Madhu. On Jan 21, he lured her into his car on the pretext of visiting Chandi Mandir in Haridwar. Instead of taking the ropeway to the temple, he suggested that they walk the 3km trekking route. While returning - about 1.5km from the parking area - he strangled her with her dupatta and disposed of the body in a forest ditch, covering it with stones," ACP Rai said.
After questioning Virendra, police recovered the body and sent it for an autopsy. "The autopsy reports are awaited. We are planning to add murder charges to the existing case in keeping with the findings," a police official said.