'Obstacle' strangled, burnt to ashes and later reported 'missing'; husband, 2 relatives arrested

Budaun, Jul 13 (PTI) A man and his two relatives were arrested for allegedly murdering his wife here, who he considered an "obstacle" to his extra-marital affair, officials said on Monday. The deceased, Satyawati Yadav (26), was allegedly strangled to death on the intervening night of June 1 and 2 and was reported missing by her husband, Jai Singh Yadav, they said. According to Circle Officer Anshuman Srivastava, the main accused considered the victim as an obstacle in his alleged extra-marital affair, so he decided to eliminate her. During the investigation, four other relatives of the husband also came under suspicion. Of them, police arrested Jai Singh Yadav and two relatives, Rambhan Yadav and Chandele Yadav alias Jhakad, while efforts are underway to trace the remaining two accused, Sarvesh Yadav and Vijay Yadav alias Chhote, the police said. The woman's brother-in-law, Chandrabhan, died by suicide on the night of the murder by hanging himself due to guilt over the incident, they said. The police said the accused kept the body concealed in a water storage tank at the house for a few days before taking it to a cremation ground, where it was burnt. The remains were later thrown into the Sot River to destroy evidence. The case was cracked with the help of scientific evidence and sustained questioning, the police said, adding that broken bangles, anklets, toe rings, vermilion, clothes, a scarf, a shovel, a pan, a bucket, a mobile phone and the motorcycle allegedly used in the crime were recovered during the investigation. Srivastava said the woman had earlier been reported "missing" at the Bisauli police station. An FIR was initially registered against two named accused -- her husband and brother-in-law. Charges relating to the destruction of evidence have also been added to the case, he said. The accused have been sent to judicial custody, while efforts are on to apprehend the two absconding accused, he added. PTI COR KIS APL APL