Police in Dadri arrested Anuj Chauhan for allegedly murdering his wife Monika Nagar three months after their court marriage. Investigators say her body was found half-burnt, with family alleging pressure over property worth crores.
A 25-year-old man was arrested in Dadri last week for allegedly murdering his wife and attempting to burn her body to destroy evidence. Police identified the accused as Anuj Chauhan, who had married Monika Nagar, 22, in February.
Authorities said Monika’s half-burnt body was discovered on May 7 in an isolated plot. Investigators revealed that Anuj, along with his parents and a neighbour, transported her body in an SUV before setting it on fire under a pile of cow dung.
Family Alleges Property Pressure
Monika’s relatives accused her husband and in-laws of assaulting her and pressuring her to transfer property worth around ₹3 crore into their names. Her mother, Renu Nagar, told police that Monika had called her on the day of the murder, saying she was being assaulted.
Related Articles
Her brother also reported receiving distress calls from Monika, in which she said she was being forced to hand over her share of family land. Relatives claimed they saw Monika’s body being loaded into a black Fortuner outside Anuj’s house later that evening.
Following the complaint, police registered a case under BNS sections 103 (murder), 238 (causing disappearance of evidence), and 109 (attempt to murder) against seven accused, including Anuj, his parents, younger brother, uncle, aunt, and neighbour Karan Rawal alias Kannu, who was arrested earlier.
Police Probe And Confession
Police said Anuj was arrested during a special operation aided by electronic surveillance. The SUV allegedly used in the crime was seized. During interrogation, Anuj admitted to arguing with Monika after she expressed a desire to visit her parental home.
He claimed family members later told him she had hanged herself and was declared dead at a hospital. He further said villagers advised burning the body.
The autopsy could not determine the cause of death due to the extent of burns, but viscera samples were preserved for forensic examination.
Investigators continue to probe the motive, with focus on the alleged property dispute and the role of family members in the crime.
