Man pushes wife off hill in Nainital, detained

A 24-year-old salesman has been detained for allegedly killing his wife by pushing her off a hill in Uttarakhand’s Nainital in June. A team from Dabri police station is at the hill station to try and locate the body.

Investigation has revealed that he took his wife to Nainital on the pretext of a vacation. He later told her family that she had run away, police said.

Police said that on July 14 last year, the 29-year-old woman had lodged an FIR alleging that the man raped her on the pretext of marriage. “Based on her complaint, an FIR was registered. The accused was arrested on August 8 and sent to Tihar jail. A few days later, the woman submitted an affidavit saying she wanted to withdraw her complaint and that she and the accused would get married. The accused was granted bail on October 10 and married the woman,” a senior police officer said.

Police said the couple fought frequently.

“The woman’s family members told police that he fought with her over petty issues and she returned home on June 7. He approached her on June 11 and asked her to come back to his hometown in Uttarakhand, but her mother refused to send her. Her family members alleged that he was not giving her proper food and accommodation and had also threatened her following a heated argument,” an officer said, adding that he finally convinced his wife and she returned on June 11.

When the woman’s parents couldn’t reach her on June 15, they approached police and lodged a missing persons complaint. “Police found that the victim’s phone was switched off. Her parents told police they contacted her husband, who said she went along with him to Uttarakhand from where she escaped. He claimed he too tried to contact her but to no avail,” the officer said.

According to police, the victim’s parents later moved an application at a Dwarka court under CrPC Section 97 and alleged that she was confined by her husband.

“The court directed sub-inspector Narender Singh to investigate the matter. Singh scanned the couple’s call details records and found that their last location was in Nainital, where the woman’s phone was switched off. Police called her husband for questioning, and he confessed,” the officer said.