A shocking murder case has been reported from Punjab's Fazilka district, where a 42-year-old woman was allegedly killed by her former husband after he called her on the pretext of discussing a reconciliation. Police have arrested the accused and started further investigation into the case.
The deceased has been identified as Saroj, while the accused is Gurmeet Singh, a resident of Jandwala Mira Sangla village in Fazilka district.
According to the police and the woman's family, Gurmeet Singh contacted Saroj and asked her to meet him to discuss the possibility of living together again. Believing that they would talk about resolving their differences, Saroj agreed to meet him.
Police said the accused picked Saroj up from a bus stand on his motorcycle and during the journey, he allegedly recorded a video of the two together. He then took her towards a field near some bushes.
According to the preliminary investigation, the accused allegedly attacked Saroj with a sharp-edged agricultural weapon, commonly known as a kapa. She died at the spot due to the injuries, police said.
After the alleged murder, the accused buried the woman's body in a pit in an attempt to hide the crime and destroy evidence. The incident came to light when a man grazing goats nearby heard the woman's screams, he immediately rushed towards the spot. On seeing him, the accused allegedly fled from the scene.
The goatherd later informed villagers about what had happened and the villagers then alerted the police, who reached the spot and began an investigation. Police recovered the woman's body after digging it out from the pit where it had been buried, which was sent to the government hospital in Fazilka for a post-mortem examination.
The police later arrested Gurmeet Singh from his village and during the investigation, the police also recovered the motorcycle allegedly used in the crime and the sharp-edged weapon believed to have been used in the attack.
Reports reveal the preliminary investigation suggests that the accused suspected his former wife of having an illicit affair and according to the police, this suspicion had earlier led to frequent disputes between the couple and eventually their divorce. Police said this is believed to be the motive behind the murder, however, the investigation is still underway, and officials said further facts will emerge during the probe.
According to the family, Saroj and Gurmeet Singh got married around 22 years ago and they had three children, including two daughters and a son. Both daughters are married.
The family said the couple divorced about two years ago after repeated disputes and following the divorce, Saroj started living at her parental home, however, the two continued to remain in contact and occasionally met each other.
Saroj's father, Bhalwan Singh, alleged that Gurmeet Singh called his daughter by saying that he wanted to settle their differences and resume living together, but instead, he allegedly took her to a field and killed her with a sharp-edged weapon.
After the incident, the couple's daughters demanded strict punishment for the accused and said their mother should receive justice and demanded that their father be given the harshest punishment under the law. They also called for life imprisonment.