Robbers loot newly-wed couple, kill bride on NH58 near Meerut

The robbery and murder near a village between Meerut and Muzaffarnagar once again demonstrated that robbers can strike at will on highways in western Uttar Pradesh.

lucknow Updated: Apr 28, 2018 10:44 IST
Police checking on highway after murder of bride and loot on Friday night. The bride was shot dead after she refused to hand over her jewellery to the robbers. (HT Photo)

Criminals shot dead a newly married bride after looting her and her husband of cash and jewellery and took away their car near village Mataur on National Highway 58 on Friday night in yet another reminder that highway travel at night in western Uttar Pradesh remains dangerous.

Shahjeb, a resident of Mimlana road of Muzaffarnagar and his bride Fahrana of Nahal village of Ghaziabad were returning home along with Shahjeb’s family members. They had stopped for food at a roadside restaurant near Partapur on NH-58. When they resumed their journey around 11 pm, four criminals in a car started chasing them and overtook their car near village Mataur, barely a km away from Daurala police station.

The criminals held the victims at gun point and directed them to hand over cash and jewellery. One of the goons then approached Fahrana who was still sitting inside the car and asked to hand over her jewellery and shot her when she resisted. The criminals than dragged the injured bride out of the car and drove away with the loot and the car.

Shahjeb and his family members then informed their relatives who were travelling in two more cars through a different route about the incident. They arrived on the spot and took Fahrana to the Muzaffarnagar medical college about 25 km away where doctors declared her brought dead.

Police have launched a manhunt for the criminals and are examining CCTV footage of petrol pumps and Western UP toll roads to identify the robbers.

Manzil Saini, senior superintendent of police, Meerut and other senior officials rushed to the spot and directed officials of crime branch and local police to identify and arrest the criminal. “We are investigating from all angles,” Saini said.

The incident has raised question about safety and security of commuters on National Highway -58 which connects Delhi to Dehradun and Haridwar and Lakhan.

Police had claimed of that security on highways in Uttar Pradesh had been tightened after the gruesome rape with a mother and her minor daughter off the highway in Bulandshahar in July 2016. But Friday’s highway robbery and murder have once again highlighted that safety on highways is still elusive at night.