Saharanpur, 11 May

(HS): A five-month pregnant lady was reportedly hacked to death with a shovel

by her inebriated brother-in-law here, and her family claims that all of the

in-laws are engaged in the murder conspiracy, police said on Monday. According

to police, the accused reportedly stayed near the body for about an hour with

the blood-stained weapon, threatening to harm anybody who attempted to enter

the room, before being overcome. The spouse and alleged brother-in-law have

been arrested, and an investigation is ongoing, they added.

According to an official, the incident occurred on Sunday night in the Nanouta

region when the accused, Aamir, reportedly beat his sister-in-law Sana (24)

after a dispute and while under the influence of alcohol. Circle Officer Ashok Sisodia stated that the

accused repeatedly beat the woman with a shovel on the head, stomach, and chest,

killing her on the spot. According to Sisodia, after the murder, the accused

stood near the body for about an hour with the blood-stained shovel, threatening

everyone who gathered. He was also clutching the pipe of a cooking gas cylinder

in one hand, threatening to light the home on fire, he said. Police added that

residents who arrived at the scene after hearing cries were unable to enter the

room owing to the accused's threats. According to the official, the culprit was

eventually overpowered and apprehended with the help of a local citizen named

Nisar Khan.

During this time, he also unlocked a gas cylinder

and threatened to light it on fire, spreading panic in the region. Residents

barricaded themselves inside their homes out of dread. Police and the accused

engaged in a heated confrontation that lasted over two hours. After much

effort, persuading, and encirclement, officers were able to overpower and

apprehend him.

Police have submitted the body for a post-mortem

examination, while a forensic team has gathered blood samples, the murder

weapon, and other evidence from the area, according to authorities. According

to police sources, Aamir was furious over his brother Salman's intercommunity

marriage. However, the woman's relatives claimed that the murder was part of a

plan involving all of the in-laws.

Sisodia stated that the victim's father, Asif,

accused the entire husband's family of arranging the murder. He said that Aamir

was utilized as a conduit to carry out a predetermined scheme to assassinate

Sana. According to the complaint, Sana's mother-in-law and sister-in-law

reportedly left the house before to the occurrence as part of the plan, while

her husband Salman proceeded to the police station and reported the suspected

murder of his brother.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi