Faiz.SiddquiKanpur: Nearly a year after the death of a 32-year-old woman was recorded as a road accident in Kanpur, police have turned the case into a murder investigation, claiming she was killed by her younger brother over a land dispute.Police have arrested Shyamji Pal for the death of his sister, Seema Devi, in Aug 2025, after uncovering evidence that contradicted the accident theory.Seema lived with Shyamji and their mother in Sachendi, while their elder brother, Ramji Pal, lived separately. After the death of their father, Krishna Pal, around four bighas of family land was divided into four shares. Police said Seema’s mother later transferred her share of the land to Seema through a gift deed, triggering a dispute between the siblings.Investigators said Shyamji repeatedly pressured Seema to transfer about one bigha of land from the property inherited from their mother to him. However, Seema refused, leading to frequent arguments. The dispute intensified after Seema’s marriage was fixed with a youth from Shivli. Police said she made it clear that she would not part with any portion of the land, further aggravating tensions.According to police, the siblings argued again on the morning of the incident. Seema then left home on her scooter, allegedly intending to approach the police regarding the ongoing dispute. Police said that about a kilometre from her home, Shyamji intercepted her and another confrontation followed. During the altercation, he allegedly attacked her with a brick and a stick, causing fatal head injuries, before fleeing.To conceal the crime, police said, Shyamji fabricated a road accident story and informed Dial 112 that an unidentified DCM vehicle had collided with Seema’s scooter. Acting on this information, police registered a case against an unknown DCM driver.The case took a dramatic turn when investigators examined CCTV footage from the area and identified the DCM suspected of being involved. However, when the driver was questioned, he provided evidence showing that his vehicle was in Fatehpur at the time of the incident. This raised doubts about the accident narrative and shifted suspicion towards Shyamji.Police then pieced together the events by analysing CCTV footage, mobile phone location data and statements from local residents. Cops also contacted Seema’s fiancé, who revealed that a day before her death she had sent him a WhatsApp message expressing fear that her brother might harm her.Police said the message became a crucial piece of evidence, helping establish both the ongoing land dispute and Seema’s apprehension about her safety.On Monday, Shyamji was summoned for questioning again. Confronted with the evidence, he confessed to killing his sister. Police said he admitted that repeated disagreements over the land, coupled with anger over her refusal to transfer it to him, led him to attack her and later stage the incident as a road accident.DCP West SM Kasim Abidi said Shyamji has been arrested and sent to jail, while further investigation is underway.
