Delhi woman, boyfriend held for killing husband, dumping body in drain; one accused absconding
New Delhi, Aug 2 (PTI): Delhi Police has arrested a woman and her boyfriend for allegedly plotting and executing the murder of her husband and dumping his body in a drain in Haryana's Sonipat, an official said on Saturday.
The arrested accused have been identified as Soniya (34), a resident of Alipur in Delhi, and her 28-year-old boyfriend Rohit, who hails from Sonipat, the official said, adding that another accused in the case, Vijay, is absconding.
The murder was committed over the affair, as well as the victim's abusive and criminal behaviour, he added.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Harsh Indora said, "The victim, Pritam Prakash (42), was a known history-sheeter in Alipur. He had more than 10 cases registered against him, including those under the Arms Act, Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, and under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. He had also been declared a proclaimed offender by the court."
On July 5, 2024, Pritam came to pick up Soniya from her sister's house in Sonipat's Gannaur but left after an argument. That day, Soniya offered Rs 50,000 to her sister's brother-in-law Vijay and asked him to kill her husband. Later, when Pritam returned and pleaded with her, Soniya let him stay in the house.
However, that night while she slept on the terrace, Vijay killed Pritam and dumped his body in a drain near Agwanpur. Vijay sent her a video of the body on social media, which was later deleted.
On July 20, Soniya lodged a missing complaint with Alipur Police, claiming that her husband had gone out and never returned. While the case was initially treated as a routine missing person report, it raised suspicion when there were no financial or digital footprints of the victim for several weeks.
During the investigation, the team traced the mobile number linked to Pritam, which had become active again after nearly a year. Surveillance revealed that the phone was being used in Sonipat, leading the team to Rohit. On being questioned, Rohit initially misled the investigators but later broke down and confessed to the crime, police said.
Rohit told police that he was in a relationship with Soniya and that the two had conspired to kill Pritam, DCP Indora said. He admitted that Soniya allegedly paid Vijay to eliminate her husband.
Around the same time, Haryana Police recovered an unidentified male body from the area, but were unable to identify it. The case remained unsolved until Delhi Police connected the dots nearly a year later.
Police said Soniya later sold Pritam's auto rickshaw for Rs 4.5 lakh and gave his mobile phone to Rohit. DNA samples preserved during the Haryana post-mortem will now be used to conclusively identify the body.
Soniya was about 15 years old when she fell in love with Pritam and got married against their families wishes. "The marriage was never reported to the police by the families, who later accepted the couple. They have three children from the wedlock, including a 16-year-old boy and two daughters," the DCP said.
He said Rohit was previously involved in four criminal cases related to murder and arms possession. Rohit, who got married in April 2025 and used to work as a private cab driver, continued his extramarital affair with Soniya.
Police are searching for Vijay, who is currently absconding, the DCP Indora said.
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Hospital wall collapse: CM orders suspension of executive engineer; kin of victims get solatium
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday ordered the immediate suspension of an executive engineer for the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital wall collapse that claimed the lives of seven people, during a high-level review meeting at Vidhana Soudha.
A compensation of Rs 5 lakh, as announced by the CM Siddaramaiah, was distributed to the families of seven victims who lost their lives in the tragedy on Wednesday evening, which occurred due to heavy downpour with gusty winds and hailstorm.
The meeting of municipal commissioners of the five corporations, chaired by the chief minister and attended by Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, focused on fixing accountability and examining lapses that led to the tragedy.
"Why was soil dumped in a way that damaged the wall? Why did you not monitor this?" Siddaramaiah asked, pulling up hospital authorities during the meeting.
A statement from the chief minister's office said that the CM ordered the immediate suspension of the executive engineer of the Karnataka Health Systems Development Project (KHSDP).
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He also questioned the hospital authorities, asking why they failed to monitor the dumping of soil that weakened the structure.
The chief minister directed that a notice be issued to the head of the Hospital.
During the meeting, Siddaramaiah said the rains had caused extensive damage in the city, with over 250 trees uprooted.
The Chief Minister instructed officials to take necessary measures before the onset of the monsoon to avoid untoward incidents.
Commissioners of all five municipal zones in Bengaluru have been asked to take precautionary steps, including trimming dry and dangerous tree branches, the CMO said.
Siddaramaiah also directed them to get the silt cleared from stormwater drains to prevent flooding, and that immediate action be taken to remove debris and fallen branches from roads.
Further, he instructed that barricades be placed at underpasses where water stagnates and restricts public movement.
The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Chief Commissioner M Maheshwar Rao said in a statement that Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad distributed compensation cheques of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased on Thursday.
Seven people, including a six-year-old girl, were killed and seven others injured when the compound wall collapsed amid heavy rain, strong winds and a hailstorm on Wednesday evening.
Police said the victims, comprising three from Bengaluru, two from Kerala on a study tour and one each from Uttar Pradesh and Assam, had taken shelter near the wall when it suddenly gave way, trapping them under the debris.
The chief minister questioned officials over the dumping of soil near the wall despite knowing it could weaken the structure, and directed that a notice be issued to the head of Bowring Hospital.
Siddaramaiah, who had visited the spot soon after the incident along with senior officials, reviewed the situation and ordered a detailed probe into the collapse.
