A 35-year-old man has been arrested for reportedly killing a young woman whose half-burnt body was found stuffed inside a suitcase near Behman Diwana on the Bathinda-Fazilka Highway, police said on Saturday.
The victim was identified as Sapna, also known as Malika. She was a resident of Baghapurana in Moga district and had been residing in Bathinda. Her body was found on February 11.
Police said the accused, Prince Kumar, reportedly stabbed Sapna to death at his house on Surkhpeer Road on February 9. The two were said to be friends. After the murder, Kumar allegedly kept the body in his house for two days before disposing of it.
Investigators said Sapna had gone to Kumar’s residence on February 9. After killing her, he allegedly tried to burn the body. Later, he stuffed the half-burnt remains into a suitcase. He then carried the suitcase in his car and dumped it on the highway on the intervening night of February 10 and 11.
Police have found the knife believed to have been used in the crime. The car used to transport the body has also been seized. Bathinda Senior Superintendent of Police Jyoti Yadav Bains said the accused was living alone and appears to have acted without any accomplice. The exact motive behind the crime is still being investigated, she said.
Investigators tracked the accused using CCTV footage from the Parasram Nagar area. The footage showed the victim with Kumar on February 7, the last day she was seen alive. Police also analysed the victim’s phone records. They questioned around 15 people before narrowing their focus on Kumar.
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