Haridwar: Three men were arrested on Sunday for allegedly murdering a 25-year-old woman, whose decomposed body was discovered in a forest along the Chandi Devi temple route on May 10. Police stated that the victim was identified through a tattoo of her name, 'Kaushalya,' on her hand.
Arrests and Relationship
Among those arrested is Ram Prakash, also known as Govinda, 30, who had been in a live-in relationship with Kaushalya after she left her husband and eloped with him a few years ago. According to police, when Kaushalya began pressuring Ram to marry her, he conspired to kill her with the help of his brother Rakesh Singh, 33, and brother-in-law Chedi Lal, 40.
Murder Details
The three allegedly brought Kaushalya to Haridwar under the pretext of a temple visit. After taking a dip in the Ganga, they proceeded towards the Chandi Devi temple on the pedestrian route, where they strangled her. They then removed her belongings and clothes before dumping the body in a forest area, police said.
Investigation Challenges
SHO of Shyampur police station, Nitesh Sharma, told TOI, 'When a decomposed naked body of a woman was found in the forest, we had only one clue - the name tattooed on her hand. We verified all missing women's reports linked to the name Kaushalya since 2019 but got no lead. We then checked CCTV footage from the route and temple, but most cameras were not working due to thunderstorms.'
Sharma said police later examined CCTV footage from entry points across the city, including the railway station, bus stand, and highways. 'After 25 days of investigation, we managed to identify the accused,' he added.
