Patna: Police on Saturday arrested a man and his alleged associate for the murder of his 26-year-old wife, whose body was recovered from a forest in Hazaribag district, Jharkhand, on Friday. Investigators alleged that the accused, GaneshYadav, plotted the murder because he wanted a son and intended to marry another woman.According to police, Ganesh took his wife, NeetuKumari, from her maternal home on Sept 20 on the pretext of showing her a new house. He allegedly travelled to Hazaribag with associates, strangled her in a forest and dumped the body before fleeing.Khirimor SHO PraveenKumar said Ganesh and his alleged associate, NiranjanKumar, were arrested on Saturday. “During interrogation, they allegedly confessed to killing Neetu and disposing of her body in the forest. Police are probing the role of other suspects in the case,” he said.Neetu’s mother, MaltiDevi, lodged a complaint with Khirimor police station on Sept 21 after her daughter went missing and her phone became unreachable. She alleged that Neetu had been subjected to harassment by her husband and in-laws over a demand for Rs 5 lakh.Paliganj DSP PankajSharma said an FIR was registered on the basis of the complaint and a special investigation team (SIT) was formed to investigate the case.Police said technical surveillance led investigators to Hazaribag, where Neetu’s body was traced and recovered with the assistance of Jharkhand Police. A post-mortem was conducted before the body was handed over to the family.Family members alleged that Neetu had been facing harassment for some time. Her mother had earlier brought Neetu and her two daughters to her home following disputes with her in-laws.Neetu married Ganesh, a resident of Deoria village under Sigori police station areas, in 2017. Her brother, RakeshKumar, claimed that Ganesh had earlier married Neetu’s elder sister, Khushboo, in 2015. She died during childbirth in 2016, after which Ganesh married Neetu. The couple later had two daughters.
