New Delhi (PTI): Family members of the man found dead with his girlfriend inside a parked car in Noida on Saturday alleged that the couple may have been murdered, claiming they faced caste-based threats, even as police said prima facie the case appeared to be a suicide.
The couple allegedly received taunts from the woman's family and the man's family had received threats, including calls from international numbers warning of police action, they said.
The bodies of Sumit, 32, a resident of Trilokpuri in Delhi, and Rekha, 26, of Sector 101 in Noida, were found with gunshot wounds inside a locked car near Sector 107 earlier in the day. A pistol was recovered from his hand, police said.
"We believe both have been murdered and were victims of casteism," a cousin of Sumit alleged. The couple had been in a relationship for over a decade and their families were aware of it, he said.
"Sumit is my younger brother. He and the girl had been together for 12-15 years and she attended our family functions. There was never any pressure from our side," the relative told PTI.
Alleging that the couple could have been murdered, he added that the spot where the car was found was only a few hundred metres from the woman's village in Salarpur and described the circumstances as "suspicious".
Police, however, said a pistol was recovered from Sumit's hand and the car was locked from inside, indicating a possible suicide. Senior officers and forensic teams have inspected the scene and a post-mortem examination is awaited, they added.
Officials said all angles, including the family's allegations, are being examined as part of the probe. Further investigation is underway, they said.
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Mangaluru: Air India Express will introduce a late-night daily flight service on the Bengaluru–Mangaluru–Bengaluru sector starting March 10, 2026.
According to the sources, flight IX 5971 will depart from Bengaluru at 9.25 pm and arrive in Mangaluru at 10.40 pm. The return flight, IX 5972, will depart from Mangaluru at 11.10 pm and reach Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, at 12.20 am.
The additional service will operate daily and will remain in effect until March 28, 2026.
Meanwhile, Air India Express has cancelled all its scheduled international flights from Mangaluru International Airport (IXE) on March 7 due to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
The Bengaluru–Mangaluru sector already has multiple daily services. Apart from Air India Express, IndiGo also operates flights on this route.
