Meerut murder twist: Woman found dead in field could be ‘Turkmenistan national’, cops approach MEA

But since the woman’s features couldn’t be ascertained, police have now contacted the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for assistance.

“We have written to the MEA with details of the case and have forwarded the passport that was provided to us, requesting the ministry to verify it and share details regarding the visa and travel documents of the woman,” said Superintendent of Police, Meerut, Abhijeet Kumar, adding that they are trying to contact the victim’s friend for more details.

Behind the murder

According to police, preliminary investigation suggested that the woman had been murdered elsewhere and her body later dumped in the field. A flammable substance also appeared to have been poured on her face to conceal her identity and destroy evidence.

A case under BNS sections of murder and destruction of evidence was registered at Mawana police station in Meerut and police collected and examined 500 CCTV recordings from cameras installed in and around the crime scene — and identified the car in which the body was brought and dumped.

During the probe, police identified the victim as Archita based on the Aadhaar card. A team was sent to Ambala to get more details, only to find that she had shifted to Delhi several years ago.

Police said they then decided to trace the car using the number plate seen in the footage, which led them to a hotel in Meerut. When they examined footage from the premises, police said they found the woman had visited the hotel.

Police said they questioned the hotel manager, Chanchal Kumar alias Bunty, who eventually admitted to killing her.

According to police, the woman had a dispute with Kumar and his associates over payment-related issues at the hotel.

Police claimed the argument escalated and the accused suffocated the woman by pressing a blanket over her face, leading to her death. They then allegedly transported the body and dumped it in a mustard field along the highway in an attempt to evade identification and mislead investigators.

Police arrested Kumar and his three accomplices — Arvind alias Monu alias Gurmukh, Sandeep alias Rahul, Vivek alias Kaka. All four hail from Meerut, said police, and have been sent to jail.

Police said the post-mortem examination was conducted and the report stated that the woman died due to smothering.