Hazaribag: Police have registered a case against 16 identified people following the death of a 37-year-old woman at Pakaria village in Chatra district and the cremation of her body before her parents or police were informed.Chandni Devi’s brother, Nitesh Kumar Sahu, alleged that her in-laws cremated her body on Saturday and told her family that she had died following stomach pain. By the time her relatives reached the village around noon, the cremation had been completed.Chandni, a resident of Pakaria under Itkhori police station limits, married Triveni Saw, 42, about 12 years ago, according to Nitesh, who lives in Dumri in Giridih district.In his complaint, Nitesh accused Triveni of assaulting Chandni and alleged that she had faced physical and mental harassment from her husband and in-laws. He claimed the marital discord began after Triveni developed a relationship with another woman around five years into their marriage.Itkhori police station officer in-charge Abhishek Kumar Singh said a police team reached the cremation ground after being alerted by Chandni’s family, but the body had already been cremated.Based on Nitesh’s complaint, police registered an FIR on charges of murder and destruction of evidence against 16 named people, including Triveni, his parents and other relatives, as well as 20 unidentified people.Three accused have been arrested, while raids are under way to trace the others, police said.
