Noida: Woman marries against family’s wish, shot dead

GREATER NOIDA: A 28-year-old woman was shot dead allegedly by her family members for marrying against their will in Dastampur village of Jewar on Thursday night.
Nisha had married Sunil (28), a private contractor from a neighbouring village, in June 2018, but had not informed her parents. Six months ago, she confided in them and told them about the marriage. But her parents refused to let her go, saying that Nisha and Sunil were distant relatives and their marriage was not acceptable.
“Her father, a subedar in the BSF, was going to retire in July. He had asked me to buy a house outside the village in order to live with Nisha, but before we could start our new life, her two brothers, uncles, mother and brother-in-law killed her,” Sunil said.
The alleged murder occurred on Thursday night, when Nisha had an argument with the family members over her marriage and went to the terrace and slept on a cot.
Neighbours said they heard two back-to-back gunshots around 1am. “We got a random phone call informing us about the firing. A police team reached the spot and recovered the body that had three gunshot wounds, two in the abdomen and one in the head. We took her to a hospital, where she was declared dead on arrival,” said Firoz Khan, senior sub-inspector at Jewar police station. The woman’s family, except her mother, has fled the house.
Vinod Kumar, a cousin of Sunil, said the man’s family never had a problem with the marriage. “We tried convincing Nisha’s parents. They asked Sunil to buy them a house and he did that. The two were in a relationship for the past 12 years,” said Vinod. “Nobody knows who shot her. She was first shot on the roof, dragged down the stairs and shot again.”
Police said the accused tried to wash the bloodstains on the floor and the stairs. The body was found on the ground floor, while a pair of slippers, a bottle of water and the blood-stained cot was recovered from the roof.
Noida police chief Vaibhav Krishna said both families belong to the Jatav community. “Primary investigation has revealed that Sunil was a distant cousin of Nisha, which is why the girl’s family had objected to their marriage. We have registered a case against eight persons under sections 302 (murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC,” he said.