HATHRAS: A 19-year-old woman from Aligarh was allegedly murdered and beheaded by her father, stepmother, and step-grandfather in Hathras in what police describe as an “honour killing” for “disgracing” the family. All three accused were arrested on Wednesday.
Hathras SP Chiranjeev Natha Singh said residents of Bahradoi village discovered a sack containing a headless body in a canal on August 10. The head was recovered shortly after. With initial identification proving difficult, police formed five teams and circulated photographs of the victim’s clothing. The breakthrough came when a woman recognised the stitching on the lower garment as her own work for a missing girl — Tamanna, daughter of Hasrat Ali (40) — from Adhauna village in Aligarh.
Ali had married Firdos in 2005 and had two daughters, Tamanna and Nisha (16). Dissatisfied with having only daughters, he separated from Firdos six years ago, keeping both girls with him. He later married Rani (38), daughter of Rajjo Pehalwan (60) of Hathras.
Investigations revealed that Tamanna had eloped with a man from her village in July but returned two days later, angering Ali and Rani. On August 8, she left home again but was intercepted near Panaithi bridge. Police say Ali, Rani, and Rajjo conspired to kill her that night.
The three allegedly laced her food with intoxicants at Rajjo’s home in Alhaipur, strangled her when she became unconscious, and dumped her body in a canal. Ali then severed her head and inflicted injuries to hinder identification, while the others restrained her. Her clothing was also disturbed to mislead investigators.
