Faridabad horror: Father-in-law held for killing woman, burying her in 10ft-deep pit outside house

FARIDABAD: A 54-year-old man was arrested on Saturday for allegedly murdering his daughter-in-law and burying her body after digging the road outside their house in Roshan Nagar around two months ago.Police investigation revealed that the accused, Bhup Singh, strangled 25-year-old Tanu Rajput with a dupatta after April 21 midnight while her husband and mother-in-law were away.On Friday, a police team excavated Tanu's decomposed remains from a 10ft-deep pit outside the family's house after her father filed a complaint at Palla police station, alleging his daughter had been murdered and buried by her in-laws.According to cops, Tanu had married Bhup Singh's son Arun in June 2023. "There were persistent disputes within the household since their marriage. On the night of the murder, only Bhup Singh's daughter and Tanu were at home. While his daughter slept on the ground floor, Tanu was alone on the first floor. The accused entered her room, strangled her with a dupatta, and buried the body in a soak pit for which they had already dug the road outside," said ACP Sarai Rajesh Kumar. In a calculated move to conceal the crime, Singh had already prepared the burial site, digging a pit outside the main gate and telling neighbours he was constructing a drainage system to prevent waterlogging. The morning after the murder, he allegedly called a mason to seal the pit completely.The crime came to light when Tanu's father approached police on Thursday evening and urged that a murder probe be launched. By then, nearly two months had passed since Arun Singh had lodged a missing person's complaint on April 25. A day before this report, Tanu's mother-in-law had spread word in the neighbourhood that her daughter-in-law had eloped.Local resident Harikesh Tiwari said the family's ruse to dig a pit was initially convincing. "The accused buried the body deeply and filled the pit quickly. No odour was detected, and everything appeared normal the next morning," he added.Satya Prakash, the SHO of Palla police station, confirmed that the body was found in an advanced stage of decomposition with no visible injuries. "We are investigating all possible theories in the case," added ACP Kumar.Bhup Singh was remanded in two days' police custody after being presented before a court.