A burnt body in a suitcase dumped in Delhi’s Ghazipur has led police to a chilling story that started with a live-in relationship and ended in a grisly murder.
Early yesterday, local police were informed about a suitcase dumped in a deserted area in east Delhi’s Ghazipur. On reaching the spot, a police team found a body inside. The body was completely burnt. Police registered a case of murder and destruction of evidence and formed several teams to get to the bottom of this.
Abhishek Dhania, Deputy Commissioner of Police for East Delhi, told the media, “We didn’t have any clue initially. Just a burnt suitcase and a burnt body. We started by scanning CCTV footage of the area where the suitcase was found.”
The officer said that the cops zeroed in on a Hyundai Verna that appeared suspicious and crossed the area hours before the body was found. Police tracked down the registration number to a Loni resident, but he told them he had sold the car to one Amit Tiwari.
Police traced Amit Tiwari, 22, after tracking CCTV footage and took him into custody. Amit worked as a cab driver and was living in Ghaziabad. His friend Anuj Kumar, also seen in the CCTV footage, was also taken into custody. Anuj works as a welding mechanic and lives in Ghaziabad.
On being questioned, Amit identified the body as that of his 22-year-old cousin Shilpa Pandey. Amit said he was in a relationship with Shilpa and they had been living together for a year. Shilpa wanted to marry him, but he had been trying to part ways with her.
On Saturday night, Amit was drunk when he had an altercation with Shilpa. In a fit of rage, he choked her to death, police have said. He packed her body in a suitcase and called his friend Anuj to help him dump the body.
“The victim was a cousin in relation to the accused and pressured him to leave his family so as to permanently live together. Victim was also threatening to falsely implicate him and his family,” a police statement said, adding that Anuj allegedly helped Amit destroy the body.
According to police, Amit’s original plan was to dump the body somewhere in western Uttar Pradesh. But soon after the duo set out, they crossed two checkpoints and Amit decided to dispose of the body somewhere closer. According to police, Amit has said they bought diesel worth Rs 160 from a petrol pump. They then reached a deserted area, dumped the suitcase with Shilpa’s body in it and set it on fire. Police said they arrested Amit from Greater Noida. Shilpa’s parents, the probe has found, work and live in Gujarat’s Surat.