Police personnel at a police station, in Uttar Pradesh. (Image for representative purpose)
Credit: PTI Photo
Baghpat: A 17-year-old girl here was allegedly strangled to death over a love affair by her family members and her body was secretly buried in a local graveyard, police said on Monday.
Six of her family members have been arrested in connection with the case, while a minor was sent to a juvenile home.
In a statement, Superintendent of Police (SP) Suraj Rai said that a 17-year-old Dalit boy and a girl of the same age from the Muslim community were in a relationship and had eloped to Himachal Pradesh on July 12, where the boy was employed.
The girl's family later brought them back to the village.
On July 22 night, the girl was allegedly strangulated by the family, who later buried the body in the village graveyard claiming that she died of tuberculosis, SP Rai said.
Following a complaint, police exhumed the body on Saturday after obtaining permission from the district magistrate. A post-mortem was conducted by a panel of two doctors and the entire process was videographed.
The investigation took a turn after the girl's uncle, Matloob, revealed key information during questioning. Based on the findings, police have arrested the girl's father, brother, two paternal uncles, two maternal uncles and a juvenile relative.
The cloth allegedly used in the murder has also been recovered, the SP said.
He added that the boy had sustained injuries during the incident and fled back to Himachal Pradesh out of fear. He is being brought back for questioning, as he is a direct eyewitness to the crime.
Given the gravity of the case, police have launched searches to track down other suspects involved, the SP said.