On November 20, Azamgarh police solved the mystery behind the brutal killing of a young woman whose beheaded body was recovered from a well in the Pashchim Patti village of Azamgarh district in Uttar Pradesh. The body was found on November 16, and the police have now arrested the ex-boyfriend of the deceased, identified as Prince Yadav, in the matter.
एक अज्ञात लड़की का शव कुएं में मिला था, जिसका सिर नहीं था, शरीर के बाकी अंग भी काटे गए थे। मामले में अभियुक्त को पुलिस के साथ मुठभेड़ में गिरफ़्तार कर लिया गया है। इसके पैर में गोली लगी है। मृतका के साथ इसका 2 साल से संबंध था: अनुराग आर्य, एसपी, आजमगढ़(1/3) pic.twitter.com/HH3dMNvdzC
— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) November 20, 2022
As per the police, 24-year-old Prince strangulated 22-year-old Aradhana Prajapati, a resident of village Ishaqpur. His cousin Sarvesh was also involved in the murder. The duo chopped the body into pieces and threw it in the well on November 10. The police recovered the head of the dead body 6 KMs away from the well. The police said in a statement that Aradhana and Prince were in a relationship. However, she was married off by her family to someone else in February this year.
The police have also booked two maternal uncles, cousin brothers, sister and aunts in the case for hatching conspiracy to kill Aradhana. Two of them have been booked for providing shelter to the alleged murderers. As of now, all of the family members have been reported as absconding. A cash reward of Rs 25,000 has been announced on Sarvesh.
On November 19, Prince was detained by the police. He was later arrested formally after an encounter as he tried to escape while taking the investigating officers to the pond to recover the head. Police said he was allegedly pressurising the victim to break her marriage.
The police detained Prince on suspicion, and during interrogation, he confessed to the crime. Superintendent of Police Anurag Arya told Times of India, “After his confession, a team on Sunday took him to the pond six kilometres from Paschim Patti village where he had dumped the head and weapons used for hacking Aradhna’s body. When the police team was searching for evidence, Prince recovered a country-made revolver, which he had hidden in a neighbouring field, and tried to escape after opening fire on cops.”
He added that police personnel opened fire in defence. Prince suffered bullet injuries in his leg and was admitted to the hospital. Aradhana’s father, Kedar and brother, Sunil, identified the mortal remains and confirmed it was Aradhana.
Aradhana was married off when Prince was in Gulf
During the investigation, the police found that there was an affair between Prince and Aradhana for the past two years. Prince wanted to marry her. However, he got a job in a Gulf country and left. In February 2022, Aradhana’s family married her off to another person. When Prince came back, he found out about her marriage. He approached Aradhana and tried to force her to break her marriage, but she refused. Police said that after her refusal, he conspired to kill her.
मृतका की फरवरी में शादी हुई उस समय अभियुक्त विदेश में था। वापस आकर इसने लड़की को डरा धमकाकर अपनी शादी तोड़ने और अपने साथ रहने के लिए मनाने की कोशिश की। जब लड़की नहीं मानी तो हत्या की योजना बनाई: अनुराग आर्य, एसपी, आजमगढ़(2/3) pic.twitter.com/KRVz8Lu7Gy
— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) November 20, 2022
On November 9, Prince again approached her and asked her to come with him, however, she refused. On November 10, he convinced Aradhana to meet him at a nearby temple. They offered prayer at the temple and had lunch at a restaurant. Later, he took Aradhana to his maternal uncle’s home in Pashchim Patti village.
पुलिस ने जांच के दौरान मुख्य आरोपी प्रिंस यादव को गिरफ़्तार कर लिया है। उसके दाहिने पैर में गोली लगी है। उसके पास से एक अवैध हथियार बरामद किया गया है: अनुराग आर्य, एसपी, आजमगढ़ pic.twitter.com/kWtWEUHXkr
— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) November 21, 2022
SP Arya said she was strangulated at his maternal uncle’s place. Prince and his cousin Sarvesh beheaded the dead body and chopped it into pieces to conceal the identity. He said, “They chose a well, which is covered with bushes, and situated at a lonely place to dump the hands, legs and torso. The head and weapons used were dumped into a pond six kilometres away.”
In a statement, Aradhana’s brother Sunil said that Prince’s sister called her and asked to join her for a temple visit. Aradhana used to stay with Prince’s sister in past. When she did not return for a week, they informed the police. “By looking at the clothes and slippers recovered, it appears it’s my sister’s dead body,” he said.
उनकी(प्रिंस यादव) बहन ने फोन कर कहा कि भैरवनाथ के दर्शन करने चलते हैं। वह(मृतका) पहले भी 2-3 दिन के लिए उनके पास रुक जाती थी, एक सप्ताह तक जब वह वापस नहीं लौटी तो हमने पुलिस को सूचित किया। जो कपड़े, चप्पल बरामद हुए उससे लग रहा है कि वो मेरी बहन ही है: मृतका का भाई सुनील प्रजापति pic.twitter.com/jMcetxfLA2
— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) November 21, 2022
The dead body was found on November 15
The dead body of Aradhana was found in a well on November 15, but immediate identification couldn’t take place due to the missing head. The police discovered chopped hands, legs, and body from a well located on Durvasa-Gahaji Road in Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgarh district.
At that time SP Arya said that forensic experts and the dog squad had been called and that senior officers were also probing the incident. Other evidence was also collected from the scene after recovering the mutilated body
According to media reports, some locals alerted the police after they noticed the body in a well about 150 meters away from Pashchim ka Pura village. After receiving information, Ahraula police arrived at the sport and reported the incident to Azamgarh authorities.