Nawanshahr: Nawanshahr police have arrested a 23-year-old man for allegedly murdering his paramour's 16-year-old daughter, packing her body in a suitcase and setting it on fire in a jungle near Khuralgarh village.
SSP Tushar Gupta said on June 2, Usha Rani, a resident of Jadli village near Balachaur now living in Nawanshahr, approached police claiming her daughter had been lured away by an unidentified person on May 29.
During investigation, police detained Gurwinder Singh alias Gurpreet Gopa, also from Jadli. During questioning, he allegedly confessed to the crime.
Police said the accused found the girl alone at her house on May 29, strangled her, and later transported the body in a suitcase on his motorcycle to a forest near Khuralgarh, where he set it ablaze. Based on his disclosure, police recovered the charred skeletal remains.
Cops said probe revealed that the accused was in an illicit relationship with the victim's mother and frequently visited her house — something the girl opposed. Police said tensions had been brewing, with frequent arguments leading the accused to harbour a grudge against both the girl and her mother.
On the day of the incident, when Usha Rani was away at work, the accused allegedly entered the house, found the girl alone and killed her, the SSP said.
The accused was produced before a local court on Friday and remanded to four days' police custody.