35-yr-old arrested for killing live-in partner over ‘infidelity’

GREATER NOIDA: A 35-year-old man, accused of murdering his live-in partner in Dadri was arrested from his hometown in Aligarh on Sunday. The accused, Ashok Kumar Upadhaya (35), killed Sushma Devi (30) on October 14 and fled to his native place Hardullah Ganj, Aligarh.

Ram Sen Singh, SHO, Dadri police station, said: "The woman, also an original resident of Aligarh, lived in a rented accommodation in Brahmpuri Mohalla. Her neighbours found her with a bullet wound on her head outside her house at around 9pm on October 14. She was rushed to Dadri government hospital where doctors declared her brought dead." The woman lived alone at the time of the incident and there was no one to share more details after the incident took place.

Police said that a case of murder was registered against an unknown person. They were able to trace Upadhaya through phone records. Police found that there were frequent calls between the victim and the accused. They put Upadhaya's number on surveillance and traced him to Hardullah Ganj in Aligarh. A team of Noida police was dispatched to Aligarh and they arrested him from his house. During interrogation, the accused broke down and confessed to his crime.

As per Upadhaya's confession, he had known Devi for around eight years. She was married to Mukesh, who died in a road accident. Three years ago, she moved to this rented accommodation in Dadri and started living with Ashok. However, recently she asked Ashok to move out of the house and told him that she had secretly married another man. The accused told police that the woman abused him and ousted him from the house they had been living in. Ashok took this as an insult and decided to kill the woman.

Police said that on the night of October 14, Ashok, armed with a country-made revolver, came to Brahmpuri Mohalla. "He roamed around the house looking for a suitable time to strike. Suddenly the electricity supply of that area went out and the woman came outside her room. The accused approached her and fired at point-blank range," said police.

Devi was rushed to the hospital where she was declared brought dead. The accused managed to escape in the darkness and returned to his hometown. "A case of murder has been registered against the accused. He was produced in court and sent to judicial custody," police said.