Woman, 3-Year-Old Daughter Found Dead in Ghaziabad Flat, Husband Detained; Dowry Row Under Probe

A 30-year-old woman and her three-year-old daughter were found dead inside their rented flat in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad on Friday evening, prompting police to register an FIR against the woman’s husband and two in-laws. The deceased woman, identified as Preeti Singh, lived with her husband Anirudh alias Sonu and their daughter in a rented flat on the second floor of a two-storey house in Bharat Vihar, Khoda.

The FIR names Anirudh, his mother Raj Rani and sister Rinki Singh. Police have also detained Anirudh for questioning.

Preeti’s family has alleged that she faced harassment from her husband and in-laws over dowry and claimed that Anirudh had repeatedly demanded money from her. They further alleged that he was dissatisfied with the motorcycle given during their marriage in June 2021 and wanted a car instead.

Sources also said Preeti had suspected her husband of having an extramarital affair. However, the allegation has not been independently established by the police.

Preeti, a homemaker, was originally from Unnao, while Anirudh, a native of Hardoi, works as a lab technician at a private hospital in Kaushambi. The couple had been married for around four years and had been living in the rented accommodation with their daughter.

Child raises alarm after finding mother, sister unresponsive

According to police and neighbours, no major dispute between the couple had been publicly reported before the incident. Anirudh’s sister Rinki, who lives with her family on the ground floor of the same building, also told police that she had not noticed any serious conflict between the couple.

Police said Anirudh was unwell on Friday and had stayed home instead of going to work. At around 5:30 pm, he reportedly left the house to buy medicines.

Soon after, Rinki’s 10-year-old daughter Ananya went upstairs to Preeti’s flat. She knocked several times but received no response. When the door remained shut, the girl reportedly looked through a window and saw Preeti and her daughter lying inside.

Ananya then raised the alarm, prompting neighbours and Rinki to rush to the flat. The door was subsequently broken open, and the two were found inside.

Police received information about the incident through Dial-112 at around 6:30 pm. Teams from Khoda police station and Dial-112 reached the spot, while forensic experts examined the scene. The bodies were later sent for post-mortem examination.

Police probe dowry allegations, cause of deaths

The case has been registered under Sections 85 (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty), 80(2) (dowry death) and 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Sections 3 (dowry) and 4 (demanding dowry) of the Dowry Prohibition Act.

Indirapuram ACP Suryabali Maurya said the police were investigating all aspects of the case.

DCP Trans-Hindon Rijual said further action would be taken on the basis of the evidence collected during the investigation and the autopsy findings.