GHAZIABAD: A 12-year-old girl’s account of her mother’s death has helped police solve a five-month-old missing person case, leading to the arrest of her father, uncle and great-uncle on charges of murder and destruction of evidence.
The accused, identified as Pravindra Singh, his elder brother Vinod Kumar and their uncle Brahmpal Singh, were arrested on Tuesday following an investigation that began after the victim’s daughter confided in her maternal uncle.
Police allege that the victim, Sonia, was murdered in January and that her body was later burned in an attempt to conceal the crime.
According to investigators, the case remained hidden for months because Sonia’s relatives were told she had left home following a domestic dispute and never returned. The situation changed on June 1 when Sonia’s brother, Sandeep Kumar, visited his niece, Mahi, and inquired about his sister’s whereabouts.
The child allegedly told him that her father had killed her mother.
Initially shocked by the revelation, Sandeep met the girl again several days later. After she repeated the same account, he approached police and filed a complaint alleging that his sister had been abducted and that the child was being intimidated by family members.
A case was subsequently registered, and investigators began questioning those named in the complaint.
According to police, the investigation eventually uncovered evidence pointing to a planned murder. During questioning, officers allege that Pravindra confessed to killing his wife with the assistance of his brother and uncle.
Police claim that on January 29, Pravindra and Vinod took Sonia to an upstairs room in their residence in Muradnagar. They allegedly attempted to kill her by hanging her from a ceiling hook using a noose. When they discovered she was still alive after bringing her down, Pravindra allegedly smothered her with a pillow until she died.
Investigators said the two men then contacted Brahmpal, who allegedly advised them on how to dispose of the body.
According to police, the body was wrapped in bedding and transported by vehicle to the outskirts of Signalpur village in Muzaffarnagar district. There, the accused allegedly concealed the remains inside a mound of cow dung, poured kerosene over it and set it on fire.
Police further alleged that several days later, Pravindra returned to the site and scattered the remaining ashes into a nearby pond in an attempt to eliminate evidence.
The investigation led officers to recover skeletal remains from the area identified by the accused. Following the recovery, police added charges relating to murder, destruction of evidence and criminal conspiracy to the case.
During interrogation, Pravindra reportedly claimed that marital tensions had existed for several years. Police said Sonia had previously filed a dowry-related case against him while living with her parents in Muzaffarnagar, although a settlement had later been reached and she returned to the matrimonial home.
Authorities stated that the couple subsequently moved to Muradnagar with their two children and began living in Vinod’s house, where disputes allegedly resurfaced in the months leading up to the killing.
Police are now awaiting forensic examination of the recovered remains and gathering additional evidence to strengthen the prosecution’s case.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Note: The allegations against the accused are based on police findings and statements recorded during the investigation. The charges will be subject to judicial scrutiny during the trial process.
