Woman hanged from tree: Cops suspect honour killing

Kalyan Police in Maharashtra have cracked the December 31 murder of a 23-year-old woman from Uttar Pradesh and their investigation has revealed honour killing as the motive behind the crime.

A police official Saturday said they have registered a case of murder against four persons, including the father and the brother of the deceased Manita Yadav whose body was found hanging from a tree in Kalyan in Thane district.

No arrest is made yet.

The accused are identified as Manita's father Lotu Yadav, her brother Tirthraj Yadav and relatives Ramakanat Yadav and Manoj Yadav.

According to police, Manita's family members were filled with a sense of shame after her in-laws dropped her at their home in Azamgarh district in Uttar Pradesh last month while accusing her of having an extra-marital affair with another man.

The deceased was married to a man from a village in Azamgarh district.

A police official said Tirthraj, Ramakant and Manoj boarded a train for Mumbai on December 30 from Azamgarh under the pretext of taking Manita to her another brother who is a resident of suburban Vikhroli in Mumbai.

"They got down at Kalyan railway station and took Manita to a secluded place, where she was strangulated and her body was hanged from a tree to make it appear as a suicide," he said, adding that Manita was killed on the night of December 31.

The body was spotted by some locals on January 1 who, in turn, informed the police.

He said the CCTV cameras at the railway station captured the accused persons getting down with Manita.

The official said the first major clue to solve the crime was a SIM card they had found in the pocket of the sweater worn by the deceased woman.

The card was registered in the name of his brother whom police tracked down in Azamgarh, he added.