Ludhiana hotel murder: Victim was strangled after she attacked man’s private parts with blade amid dispute over marriage, say cops

Talking to The Indian Express, Sameer Verma, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP), Ludhiana, said the accused was about to get married to another woman. “They (Nishad and the victim) decided to meet for the last time on Friday.”

The ADCP said that during questioning, Nishad told the police that after the two met at the hotel, the woman pressured him to marry her. “When he declined, she allegedly tried to cause injuries to his private parts using a blade she had brought with her. In retaliation, the accused strangulated her and fled the hotel,” Verma said. A blade was recovered from the room.

As per the police, the couple had booked the hotel room from 12 pm to 4 pm, but the accused left hurriedly after about half an hour. When the woman failed to vacate the room by 4 pm, hotel staff entered inside and found her lying unconscious with blood oozing from her nose, a cut on her eyebrow and other facial injuries. She was declared dead later.

Soon, investigators traced the accused using CCTV footage and Aadhaar details submitted at the hotel reception. He was first located at a private clinic in Sector 32, Chandigarh, from where he was referred to Christian Medical College and Hospital (CMCH), Ludhiana. By Friday evening, the police shifted him to PGIMER after his condition worsened, officers revealed.

“Further investigation is underway and more details will emerge,” ADCP Verma said. “We will take action against the hotel staff for not keeping the woman’s identity proof,” he added. The police are also investigating how the accused managed to leave the hotel in an injured state.