Faridabad Woman Found Buried Outside Her Home; In-Laws Accused of Murder

Two months after she was reported missing, the decomposed body of 25-year-old Tanu Rajput was recovered from a pit dug just outside her in-laws’ house in Faridabad’s Roshan Nagar. Police suspect she was murdered by her husband and his family, who allegedly buried her and claimed she had eloped

In the quiet lanes of Roshan Nagar, what looked like an ordinary patch of newly cemented road was hiding a dark secret. On Friday morning, police uncovered the decomposed body of Tanu, buried nearly 10 feet underground just outside her in-laws' residence. Her disappearance had been dismissed as an elopement. Her family, however, never believed that story.

The body, exhumed using a JCB machine, had been hidden beneath a portion of the road that was recently dug up under the pretence of building a soak-pit. “Everyone in the neighbourhood saw the pit being dug. He said it was for dirty water. After that, the daughter-in-law was never seen again. Some of us thought something was wrong, but no one could imagine this,” said a neighbour.

Tanu, originally from Shikohabad in Uttar Pradesh, had married Arun Singh in 2023. Her family alleges that from the start, she was subjected to mental and physical abuse. Her sister, Preeti, shared that demands for gold and money began shortly after the marriage. Despite efforts to meet these demands, the pressure and harassment didn’t stop.

“Tanu came back to live with us at our maternal home just months after the wedding because she was not being treated well,” Preeti told reporters. “She stayed with us for over a year. When we finally sent her back, the torture resumed. They wouldn't let her speak to us, not even on phone calls.”

On April 9, Preeti attempted to call Tanu but was unable to reach her. Soon after, on April 23, the in-laws informed the family that Tanu had “run away.” Her husband filed a missing persons report the following day, claiming she was “intellectually challenged and had vanished.” On the same day, her mother-in-law allegedly told neighbours that she had eloped with her boyfriend.

But those claims began to unravel as local residents began to recall strange activities. “There was a wedding in our neighbourhood on April 22. The next evening, they started digging the road using an earthmover. They covered the pit with plastic sheets, claiming it was to prevent accidents. A couple of days later, they filled the pit using an earthmover,” one woman, who requested anonymity, told police.

Another resident, Harikesh Tiwari, added: “The family buried the body quite deep in the pit and filled it up quickly. Since there was no smell, no one sensed any wrongdoing. They did everything at night, and by the next morning, the road looked normal.”

Tanu’s father eventually approached police at Palla station, raising suspicions that his daughter had been murdered and buried nearby. Investigators brought in her father-in-law, Bhoop Singh, for questioning. Under interrogation, he confessed to the murder, saying they buried the body overnight to avoid attention.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Usha Kundu stated, “After receiving the complaint a week ago, the police took immediate action. The body has been recovered from the pit. Four people have been detained and interrogation is underway. The matter is being thoroughly investigated.”

Inspector Satya Parkash, the station house officer at Palla police station, said, “The body was in an advanced stage of decomposition with no visible injuries. We are awaiting the autopsy report to determine the murder motive.”

He added, “Her remains were identified by her family based on the clothes found at the site.”

An FIR has now been registered under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including murder and criminal conspiracy. Several family members, including Arun Singh, are absconding. Bhoop Singh, who runs a tailoring business from the ground floor of the same house, remains in custody.

Parkash noted that the motive could be dowry or a suspected extramarital affair. “Her family has alleged that she was killed over dowry. They denied that she was intellectually challenged. The investigation is ongoing, and we will soon confirm the exact motive and the timeline of the murder.”

The autopsy was carried out by a medical board at Badshah Khan Civil Hospital and the final report is expected next week.

For now, a family waits for answers and justice, while a neighbourhood quietly mourns the horror that lay buried beneath their feet — hidden in plain sight, behind cement and silence.

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