A missed call, an ‘affair’, and a chilling discovery in a well: How UP cops cracked 2-year-old murder case

Circle Officer Santosh Kumar Singh said the youth, Maseedul (25), is on the run, and Hardoi Police have arrested his younger brother, Sameedul (21), and their father, Mohammad Ayub (57), for their alleged involvement in the crime. Singh added that raids are underway to trace and arrest Maseedul.

Acting on information provided by the arrested duo, police went to the well and recovered skeletal remains, as well as clothes, a hair clip, and slippers. The woman’s family later identified the items as hers. The remains have been sent for a postmortem examination and the report is awaited.

“We managed to crack the case through the victim’s call detail records and other linked phone numbers,” said Singh, adding that a DNA test of the remains will be conducted.

Police said the relationship began when Maseedul received a missed call from the victim and the two then started speaking regularly over the phone.

They lived 45 km apart. The accused did odd jobs in Delhi. The victim’s husband worked in a factory in Hardoi.

Police said on August 6, 2023, the woman left her home to buy a water bottle for her minor son from the local market. When she did not return and no information about her whereabouts could be found, her family filed a complaint.

Police then lodged an FIR against an unidentified person on charges of kidnapping. The investigation remained inconclusive for months, with several investigating officers failing to make progress in the case.

Circle Officer Singh said police then re-examined the victim’s call detail records afresh and found she had been in frequent contact with one particular number.

Using this, they recreated her movements on the day she went missing — her phone records showed she went to Jahedipur village and then to Delhi. Police said the number she frequently contacted was traced to Maseedul, whose location data also indicated he travelled to Delhi with her.

Police then raided Maseedul’s house in Jahedipur village but failed to find him, though his father and younger brother were taken in for questioning.

During questioning, police said Ayub admitted that on August 6, two years ago, the victim had come to their house. The following day, she left for Delhi, wearing a burqa to avoid being recognised, with Maseedul.

“Investigation revealed that in Delhi, the woman discovered that Maseedul was living in a shared room with four to five others, contrary to what he had told her. Upset by this, she argued with him and they returned to Hardoi. There, another heated confrontation took place in the presence of his father and brother, during which the woman allegedly threatened to implicate them in a false case of sexual assault and kidnapping. Fearing her threats, the accused strangled her to death and disposed of the body in a well near their house,” a police officer said.

The officer added that when police later went to the well based on information provided by the accused, they found a large python inside. The forest department was called to remove the snake, after which the police retrieved the remains.

“The arrested accused have admitted to the crime,” said Singh.

Police said they have added sections of murder and criminal conspiracy to the earlier kidnapping FIR.