Dhar\Pithampur: Police have arrested 10 persons, including a couple from Delhi, in connection with the blind murder of a woman whose decomposed body was found in a rented house in Manmani Colony, Pithampur Industrial area.
It was a mother's refusal to sell her baby that made her husband and others kill her.
Dhar SP Aditya Pratap Singh said those held for murder have been identified as victim Indira’s husband Chottu Choudhary, his elder brother Prasandhi alias Shivam Choudhary and Shivam's wife Deepika, all residents of Mankora village in Panna district.
Seven others who were allegedly involved in trafficking are Radhabai Parihar, Sagarbai Balai, Meena Ahirwar, Maankunwar Bildar and Mithun Singh, all resident of Indore, while the buyers identified as Sikandar Poddar (40) and his wife Poonam (38), both resident of Dwarkapuri, Delhi.
Police recovered a girl child from Poddar couple and handed her over to Childline.
On August 25, Iqrar Sattar, a resident of Mhow lodged a complaint with Pithampur Sector-I police station that he has let out one of his room at Manmani colony to one Prasandhi alias Shivam Choudhary and his wife Deepika on August 19.
Six days later, on August 25, people residing in the locality informed him that a foul smell is emanating from the room which had been locked since August 20.
Acting on his complaint, police station in charge Chandrabhan Singh Chaddar and his team rushed to the spot and unlocked the room and recovered a semi-decomposed body from the room.
Since the identity of the victim not known, police registered a case under Section 174 of CrPC and began the investigation in the matter.
Sattar provided Shivam's Aadhaar card and mobile to police, which was put on surveillance. Based on the tip-off and mobile location, police traced one Chottu Choudhary, who later revealed that Shivam is his elder brother.
Based on the information provided by Chottu, police arrested Shivam and his wife Deepika. Chottu informed police that the woman who was found dead at the room was his wife.
Chottu said he, his brother and his wife wanted to sell their daughter and even buyers ready to pay Rs 200,000, but victim Indira raised objection.
Failing to execute their plan, on August 20, they strangulated Indira to death and later sold their daughter to the couple through the mediators, who were aware of the crime, police said.
SP Singh the accused informed police that the buyers paid them Rs 1.8 lakh and out of this, Chhotu and his family members had kept Rs 1 lakh and remaining Rs 80,000 had been distributed among five mediators. The couple were to be pay remaining Rs 20,000 shortly.
