Photo of woman’s body killed in Punjab shared on social media with false communal claim

details inside

PTI , Vartha Bharati | 01-02-2025 | 15:24:00 IST

Photo of woman’s body killed in Punjab shared on social media with false communal claim

Image Credit: PTI

New Delhi (PTI Fact Check): A photo recently circulated on social media, with users claiming it showed the body of a woman named Neelam, allegedly stuffed in a suitcase and dumped in a canal in Rajasthan by a Muslim man named Abid. It was also claimed that Abid and Neelam had married five months ago.

However, an investigation by the PTI Fact Check Desk found that the accused was actually Yuvraj Singh, a police officer. Singh, who was already married, was in a relationship with the victim. Reports suggest he killed the woman to get rid of her before his wife returned to India from abroad. Additionally, it was confirmed that the body was dumped in a canal in Punjab, not Rajasthan. The photo was shared on social media with false claims and a communal spin.

Claim

An Instagram user on January 24, shared a post claiming that a Muslim man named Abid killed his wife Neelam and disposed of her body in a suitcase at a canal in Rajasthan.

The caption of the post, originally in Hindi, read: “Abid packed Neelam in a suitcase and threw him into the canal, he was married 5 months ago. #Rajasthan”

Here is the link and archive link to the post, and below is a screenshot of the same.

(The image of the deceased has been blurred owing to the sensitivity of the matter).

Investigation

The Desk ran the viral image through Google Lens and found that it was shared by several other users with similar claims. Two such posts can be seen here and here, and their archive versions can be found here and here, respectively.

On further scanning the search results, the Desk came across a report by Dainik Bhaskar, published earlier this week. The feature image of the report matched with the picture of the deceased that is being shared on social media.

The headline of the report read: “Policeman murders girlfriend in Punjab: body thrown in canal; hails from Himachal, was taking air hostess coaching in Chandigarh”

Here is the link to the report.

A section of the report mentioned: “A 22-year-old girl from Himachal Pradesh, who was undergoing training to be an airhostess in Chandigarh, has been murdered. Her body was found in the Bhakra canal in Patiala. Her boyfriend is accused of her murder. He is a policeman by profession and is posted in Mohali.”

The Desk found another report by The Indian Express, published on January 24, whose headline read: “‘Cop’ allegedly kills woman friend by pushing her into canal, held”

Here is the link to the report and below is a screenshot of the same.

A section of the report read: “The accused, identified as Yuvraj Singh was produced in the district court, which remanded him in five-day police custody. The preliminary investigation indicated that the accused is married and was in a relationship with the victim. The accused wanted to get rid of the victim as his wife was returning to India from abroad.”

In the next part of investigation, the Desk accessed the FIR copy of the case, wherein the accused has been identified as Yuvraj Singh and the victim as 22-year-old Nisha Soni. Below is a screenshot of the translated FIR copy.

In the next part of investigation, we contacted Rupnagar Police for their comment on the viral claim. The fact-check report will be updated as and when a response is received.

Subsequently, the Desk concluded that there was no communal angle in the incident, since both the victim the accused were of the same religion.

CLAIM

A Muslim man named Abid killed his wife Neelam and disposed of her in a canal in Rajasthan.

FACT

Both the victim and accused in the case belong to the same religion. Also, they were in a relationship, but not married to each other.

CONCLUSION

Multiple social media users shared a photo claiming that it showed the body of a woman named Neelam, who was killed by her husband Abid. In its investigation, the Desk found that both the victim and accused in the case were Hindus. The photo was shared on social media with false claims and communal spin.

(This story was originally published by PTI, and republished by english.varthabharati.in as part of the Shakti Collective)

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.

Comments

comments powered by Disqus.

Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK

07-05-2026 ¦ 07-05-2026 IST

Image Credit: FB/Sujit Nair

Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.

In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.

Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.

Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.

According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.

He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.

He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.

Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.

He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.

Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.

He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.