Delhi: Charred body of a woman found in suitcase; two arrested

Victim Shilpa Pandey had been pressuring the accused, Amit Tiwari, to leave his family and live with her permanently, say police

New Delhi: A 25-year-old woman’s charred body was found stuffed in a suitcase in east Delhi, with police arresting her cousin and his accomplice for killing her after she allegedly pressured him to leave his family and live with her, officials said on Monday.

The burnt body was found packed inside a suitcase lying by the roadside near Shivaji Road between Ambedkar Chowk and Kerala Public School, on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, police said. Police have arrested, Amit Tiwari (22), a taxi driver, and his cousin Anuj Kumar (20), a welder, residents of Khora Colony in Ghaziabad, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) (East) Abhishek Dhania said.

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According to police, victim Shilpa Pandey had been pressuring Amit to leave his family and live with her permanently. She had also allegedly threatened to falsely implicate him and his family if he refused.

Unable to cope with these demands, the two accused conspired to murder her. After committing the murder, they burned her body and stuffed it in a suitcase to destroy evidence, the DCP said.

He said to destroy the evidence Amit purchased petrol and stubble. The accused placed the suitcase containing the body in an isolated area because of high security in Delhi due to Assembly elections of and set it on fire, using the stubble.

Police received a PCR call about a charred body found on the roadside. A forensic team and crime investigation team were called to examine the scene, the officer said.

Upon reaching the scene, they discovered the burnt body of a woman, aged between 20 and 35 years, inside a burnt suitcase. The body was sent to the LBS Hospital mortuary, he said.

An FIR was registered at Ghazipur police station and formed multiple teams under the supervision of Additional DCP Vinit Kumar and DCP Abhishek Dhania.

CCTV footage provided a vital lead, showing a taxi linked to the crime. Using technical surveillance and mobile data, the police traced the vehicle and identified its owner, leading to the arrest of the accused, Dhania said.

Police said Amit had been friends with Anuj for the past six to seven years. The duo confessed to the crime during interrogation and the vehicle used in the crime has been impounded.