Delhi police claimed to have solved a six-month-old murder case, and arrested a man for allegedly killing his 28-year-old live-in partner, chopping her body into 35 pieces, and disposing of the body parts at different places in and around the national capital.
Officials said that the accused identified as Aftab, and the deceased, Shraddha (28) met while working at a call centre in Mumbai. They fell in love while working in Mumbai, and when their families refused to accept their relationship, the couple shifted to Delhi and started living at a rented apartment in the Chhatarpur area, Mehrauli police told ANI.
The accused killed her when she started forcing him for marriage, officials said.
On May 18, the couple had a fight, and the accused strangled her in a fit of rage. He then chopped her body into 35 pieces, bought a refrigerator, and kept them in it, they said.
Officials said that the accused later started disposing of the body pieces at different locations in and around Delhi during night hours for the next 18 days.
The matter came to light when the victim stopped talking to her parents. Her family also checked her social media accounts and found no updates during this period.
This raised suspicion, after which her father, Vikas - a resident of Palghar (Maharashtra), came to Delhi to check on his daughter. When he reached her flat, it was locked.
Following this, he approached the police and lodged a missing person complaint. He also told the police about his daughter's relationship with the accused, Aftab, and suspected his involvement in his daughter's absence.
On the basis of his complaint, the police launched an investigation, traced Aftab, and arrested him. During questioning, he confessed to the crime and said that they often fought as Shraddha was pressurizing him for marriage.
A case has been registered against the accused, and the police were further looking into it.