BAREILLY: UP police has booked five persons, all from the same family, for allegedly killing a minor girl, 17, and her boyfriend, 19, in a supposed case of honour killing in the Meerganj area of Bareilly district. The bodies of the couple were found hanging from a tree on Thursday.
After initial investigation, SSP Rohit Singh Sajwan found that the couple was killed and later hanged. Both were from the same community and wanted to get married. They were school drop-outs and belonged to farmer families. The boy was working as a part-time driver and looking for a permanent job. The girl’s family was reportedly against their relationship.
Inspector General of police Bareilly range Rajesh Kumar Pandey said, “Initially, we had information that the couple had committed suicide. When I checked the spot pictures and the condition of the bodies, I suspected that it could be murder. So, I asked Bareilly SSP Rohit Singh Sajwan to visit the spot and carry out a thorough investigation. Help of forensic experts was taken and the case turned out to be murder.”
When contacted, SSP Sajwan told TOI, “During investigation, we found that the girl was caught by her father when she had gone to meet her boyfriend who lived in the same village. Later, the girl's brother and three relatives also came to the spot and thrashed the couple mercilessly and strangulated them to death. Thereafter, the accused hanged the bodies from a tree to show it as suicide. During investigation, we found that the bodies were dragged and brought towards the tree.” The autopsy confirmed that the couple was murdered and after detailed investigation, it was found that they were killed by the girl's father with the help of his son and three brothers, Sajwan added.
"We have registered an FIR under section 302 (murder) of IPC, and section 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) will be included after further probe. All the accused have been arrested and sent to district jail on Friday,” the SSP said. Notably, according to police records, at least 64 youngsters have either killed themselves or have been killed in the region in the last two years ‘in the name of honour’.