Ludhiana: About a month after a woman was found murdered in Sahnewal, the police on Friday claimed to have solved the case with the arrest of a beggar.
Police said accused Monu Ram of Uttarakhand and deceased Radha, 25, were in a relationship. Monu’s affair with another woman, Sonia, led to the murder. All three were homeless and beggars.
The body of Radha, who was strangulated with her muffler, was found at a plot in Kanganwal, Sahnewal, on February 8.
Joint commissioner of police (rural) Sachin Gupta said, “It was difficult to identify the body as Radha was homeless. A beggar told that the body was of Radha, who too was an almswoman and stayed near Jagraon bridge. After her identification, we started tracing the accused and nabbed him.”
During questioning, Monu said he had been in a relationship with Radha for the past four years. “Monu was booked in a theft case a few months ago after which he went into hiding. When Monu returned recently, Radha learned about his affair with Sonia and objected to it,” Gupta added.
Additional deputy commissioner of police-II Jaskiranjit Singh Teja said, “When Manu refused to end his affair with Sonia, Radha threatened to get him arrested in the theft case. On the night of February 7, Manu, Sonia and Radha consumed drugs and went to a vacant plot in Kanganwal. There, Manu fought with Sonia and she left. Manu then strangled Radha with her muffler and escaped. Hours later, he told Sonia about it out of fear.”