Faridabad:
The body of 24-year-old Tanu Singh was exhumed from a pit in front of her marital home in Haryana’s Faridabad, nearly two months after she was allegedly murdered and buried by her father-in-law.
Tanu, originally from Shikohabad in Uttar Pradesh’s Firozabad district, had been married to Arun Singh of Faridabad’s Roshan Nagar for less than two years. Her decomposed body was recovered early Friday morning from a 10-foot-deep pit located on a public lane directly outside the Singh family home. The body was located beneath a recently constructed concrete slab that had been laid shortly after her disappearance.
The father-in-law, Bhoop Singh, has confessed to the murder during interrogation. According to the police, on the night of April 21-22, Bhoop Singh allegedly strangled Tanu on the first floor of the house while his wife Sonia and son Arun were not present. He is then believed to have disposed of the body in a pit that had originally been dug for water drainage.
“We are currently investigating the possible roles of other family members. The motive appears to be dowry-related, but further inquiries are ongoing,” said ACP Rajesh Kumar Lochan.
After the alleged murder, Bhoop Singh filed a missing person’s report on April 25, claiming Tanu had disappeared. For weeks afterwards, he reportedly maintained that she had “gone to the market.” Suspicion grew when Tanu’s sister Preeti attempted to reach her by phone and received no response.
Preeti said that her sister had been facing harassment over dowry since the early days of her marriage. She said that within months of the wedding in July 2023, Tanu returned to her maternal home and stayed there for over a year.
“Tanu came back to live with us at our maternal home just months after the wedding because she was not being treated well,” Preeti told reporters. “She stayed with us for over a year. When we finally sent her back, the torture resumed. They wouldn’t let her speak to us, not even on phone calls.”
On April 23, neighbours say they saw an earthmover arrive outside the house. A pit approximately 10 feet deep was dug by Arun Singh and Bhoop Singh under the pretext of drainage construction. Two days later, on April 25, Bhoop Singh went to the police to file a missing complaint for Tanu.
Tanu’s body has been sent for forensic examination to determine the exact time and cause of death. Four members of the Singh family – Bhoop Singh, his wife Sonia, son Arun, and daughter Kajal – have been named in the First Information Report (FIR).
According to ACP Lochan, Kajal and other family members were present in the house at the time of the alleged murder. Police are examining whether any of them had prior knowledge or involvement.
