Punjab man held for killing lover in Hapur

Meerut: A 35-year-old married man from Punjab was arrested for allegedly strangling his longtime lover to death in Hapur district’s Dhoulana area after claiming that she was blackmailing and pressuring him to marry her, police said on Monday.Amrit Lal (35) and Anu Devi (30) were natives of Ludhiana in Punjab. Besides Amrit, Anu was also married.Police said the two first met three years ago when Anu frequented Amrit’s momo stall in Punjab. Their acquaintance soon developed into a relationship.Police added the relationship later strained after Anu allegedly began pressuring Amrit to leave his wife and marry her. The accused claimed that she had recorded objectionable videos of him and was using them to blackmail him.Unable to cope with the pressure and fearing social disgrace, Amrit allegedly planned the murder. He brought Anu to Hapur, where they rented a house in Dhoulana and lived together while posing as husband and wife.On June 11, Amrit strangled Anu with her dupatta inside the rented accommodation before fleeing the scene. The landlord alerted police after a foul smell emanated from the house, leading to the recovery of the woman’s decomposed body and the registration of a murder case.

Pilkhuwa CO Anita Chauhan said police tracked down and arrested the accused using technical surveillance and manual intelligence.“Preliminary investigation indicated that blackmail, marriage-related pressure and frequent disputes could have been the motive behind the crime. During interrogation, the accused confessed to the murder and revealed that he had moved to Hapur only 10 days before the incident,” Chauhan said.The accused was produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody.