Wife, her male friend held for 28-year-old man’s murder in Faridkot

The Faridkot police said in their statement that preliminary investigations revealed the wife and her male friend were in a relationship and had planned and executed the murder together.

Confirming the murder incident and arrests, Faridkot SSP Dr Pragya Jain said, “A case of murder and criminal conspiracy has been registered at Sadar Faridkot police station under Sections 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) and 103 (punishment for murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Both the woman and her male friend are in police custody as of now. Further investigation is ongoing. The post-mortem report will determine the exact cause of death.”

The police said the victim’s wife raised an alarm around 11.30 pm on November 28, claiming that robbers had struck their house. She initially told neighbours that she had later found her husband lying unconscious on the rooftop.

According to the victim’s family, the wife had gone to Canada in 2019 and returned to India in November 2023 to marry the victim. After the wedding, she again went back to Canada but was deported last year. She returned to the village in January this year. The male friend was deported from Canada in 2018.

The victim’s sister, who is a Canadian citizen, submitted a complaint to the police stating that her brother had expressed serious fears about his safety. “My brother suspected that his wife was having a relationship with her friend and told the family that she was troubling him,” she said.

The sister also claimed that their paternal cousin, who had recently returned from Canada on holiday, had seen someone entering the house around 11 pm on November 28. About half an hour later, the family received a call informing them about the man’s death.

The victim’s aunt alleged that when she reached the house on the intervening night of November 28 and 29, she found the pet dog in a drugged condition. She claimed the victim’s wife first drugged her husband and later strangled him with the help of her male friend.

The victim’s parents had moved abroad in March this year, leaving the couple alone at home. After the murder, they rushed back to India within two to three days. The family has not cremated the body yet, suspecting the involvement of more persons and has demanded that the police unveil the whole truth. The deceased was employed with a private bank, and the family owns more than 20 acres of agricultural land.