Noida: Couple murders pregnant neighbour, stuffs body in suitcase

The Noida Police claimed to have solved the sensational case in which a pregnant woman’s body was found stuffed in a suitcase in Ghaziabad, by arresting the husband and wife couple, responsible for the act.

Gautam Budh Nagar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ajay Pal Sharma said that the arrested couple is identified as Saurabh Diwakar and Ritu, who lived in a rented apartment in the same building as the victim, Mala, in Bisrakh area.

Detailing the event the police said, Mala got married only few months back. Last Thursday when some of Mala’s relatives along with Ritu (the accused) had visited her at her house, Mala showed them her jewellery and expensive clothes, which caught the attention of her neighbour Ritu too.

Ritu then went home and told her husband Saurabh about the gold. Next day, when Mala’s husband Shiam had gone out for work, Ritu and Saurabh invited Mala to their house, as said by Mr Sharma.

The SSP further said, “There they strangled her to death and stuffed her body inside the same suitcase in which she had kept her jewellery and clothes from the wedding. They took the items and her mobile phone and kept it with themselves.”

After killing Mala, at about 9 pm, Ritu and Saurabh went to Ghaziabad carrying the dead body in the suitcase. “From there, the accused woman had gone to her maternal uncle’s house, while her husband had thrown the suitcase somewhere in Indirapuram.”

Mala’s family had registered a missing report with the Bisrakh police station the next day. On that very day, an information was received about a woman’s body being found stuffed in a suitcase in Ghaziabad.

“When checked, the identity was matched with that of Mala’s,” Mr Sharma said, adding that Mala’s parents had initially accused her husband and in-laws of killing her over dowry.

The officer added that during the investigation it was found that Shivam (deceased’s husband) was at work during the time of the killing and he was released eventually. It was also revealed that Ritu and Saurabh had not returned home since the incident took place, raising suspicion of the police on them.

The police then tracked the accused couple (Ritu and Saurabh) and held, along with the stolen jewellery, clothes and Mala’s mobile phone.

He added that both Ritu and Saurabh have been booked under Sections 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance), 316 (causing death of unborn child), 394 (robbery) of the Indian Penal Code and sent to jail.

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