College student found murdered in Varanasi hotel, relationship dispute suspected

A 22-year-old M.Sc. student was found murdered in a hotel room near her college in Varanasi's Mirzamurad, sparking panic in the locality. The victim, identified as Alka Bind, was a first-year postgraduate student of biology at Basmatti Devi Sankata Prasad Degree College in Roopapur, located around 300 meters from the crime scene.

Alka had left her home in Mehndiganj on Wednesday morning, informing her family that she was going to college for an exam. However, when she did not return home by evening, her worried family members approached the police and began searching for her. Their search ended in tragedy when her body was discovered in a room behind Hotel Vidhan Basera Dhaba, situated in the same area.

The hotel’s cleaning staff found Alka’s bloodied body while cleaning the room in the evening. The hotel manager immediately alerted the police, who reached the spot and began an investigation. A blood-stained vegetable knife was recovered from the room, which is believed to have been used to slit her throat.

CCTV footage revealed that Alka had entered the hotel room around 9:30 am, and a young man had been seen entering the premises about 15 minutes earlier. Police suspect the man might have taken advantage of the situation and fled the spot soon after committing the crime.

Preliminary investigations suggest a possible angle of a personal relationship turning violent. Forensic teams were called to collect evidence, and the police are now reviewing CCTV footage to identify and trace the suspect. Several hotel staff members have been taken into custody for questioning, and Alka’s friends are also being questioned to determine whether she had confided in them about any recent troubles.

In an official statement, Varanasi police confirmed that the case has been registered as a murder. ADCP Gomti Vaibhav Bangar said, “On the basis of the complaint filed by the family, an FIR for murder has been registered. The preliminary evidence points to a possible relationship dispute, and we are pursuing all leads.”

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