AGRA: In a chilling case of alleged honor killing, the charred remains of a young woman found in a Muzaffarnagar forest have led police to arrest her father and brother, who confessed to murdering her over her relationship choices.
The victim, 23-year-old Saraswati Maliyan, worked with a leading e-commerce multinational in Gurgaon, where she was involved in order processing and last-mile delivery. According to police, Saraswati had been in a live-in relationship with a man named Amit, a fellow villager and colleague. Her family had strongly opposed the relationship.
Investigators revealed that Saraswati had previously been married in 2019, but the marriage ended after two years. Another marriage attempt in 2022 also failed. She later moved to Gurgaon, where she began living with Amit and continued to resist family pressure to end the relationship.
On May 10, Saraswati returned to her native village in Muzaffarnagar in a final attempt to persuade her parents to accept her partner. She remained in contact with Amit until May 26, when she reportedly told him it would be her last effort to gain her family’s approval.
Tragically, police say she was killed a few days later, during the night of May 29-30. Her father, Rajveer Singh (55), and her brother, Sumit Singh (24), allegedly strangled her at their home. A third man, Gurdayal Singh, a friend of Sumit’s, reportedly helped by restraining her legs. The trio then transported her body to a forested area near a canal, doused it with petrol, and set it on fire in an attempt to destroy evidence.
Two days after the crime, the family filed a missing person’s report in an apparent attempt to divert suspicion. However, the case took a turn on June 3 when a partially burnt body was discovered in the Kakrauli police station area. Due to the condition of the remains, identification was initially difficult.
Superintendent of Police Sanjay Kumar Verma said the breakthrough came when SHO Joginder Singh and constable Lalit Moral noticed a set of bangles on the victim’s wrist. Cross-referencing this with social media posts led to the identification of the deceased as Saraswati Maliyan.
Rajveer later confessed to the murder, citing anger over his daughter’s continued relationship with Amit. Gurdayal Singh, the third accused, remains absconding, and police are conducting raids to apprehend him.
A case has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 103 (murder) and 238 (causing disappearance of evidence or giving false information to protect an offender). Legal proceedings are ongoing. For their critical role in solving the case, SHO Singh and constable Moral have been awarded a cash prize.
