In a chilling crime reminiscent of a Bollywood thriller, a young woman named Tanu was murdered by her in-laws and buried in a 10-12 feet deep pit right outside her home in Faridabad’s Roshan Nagar area. The killers took meticulous steps to ensure that no one would discover the crime, hiding the body in such a way that even the closest neighbors remained unaware for nearly two months.

According to police reports, Tanu was married to Arun Singh, a resident of the same house where the crime took place. From the very beginning, Tanu allegedly faced continuous harassment and torture from her in-laws, often related to dowry demands. About two months before the body was discovered, her in-laws started telling everyone that Tanu had run away from home. They even showed a video to the police to support their claim, attempting every possible trick to evade suspicion.

The neighbors told reporters that when the pit was being dug, they were told it was for a new soak pit to manage wastewater, a common occurrence in the area. “We saw the pit being dug in the evening, but they had blocked the path and told us to go around. They said their soak pit was broken and needed to be rebuilt. We didn’t suspect anything unusual because such work happens regularly,” said one neighbor.

The pit was dug at night and covered by the next morning. No one thought to question it further until police, acting on a tip, exhumed the body using a JCB machine two months later.

Tanu’s elder sister, Preeti, revealed that after the marriage, Tanu was forced to return to her parents’ home for a year with demands for money and gifts. She was only brought back to her in-laws after her father intervened. Contact with her family was strictly controlled, and Tanu was rarely allowed to speak with them, even through video calls.

On April 23, Tanu’s in-laws claimed she had left home. Preeti grew suspicious after repeated failed attempts to contact her sister. The family immediately reported their concerns to the police, but they felt their complaints were not taken seriously. “If the police had acted in time, Tanu might still be alive,” Preeti said.

Faridabad police have since arrested Tanu’s father-in-law, the prime suspect, and are investigating the roles of other family members. According to ACP Rajesh Kumar, the murder took place on the night of June 21, 2023. Tanu was strangled with a scarf by her father-in-law while the rest of the family was either away or asleep. The body was buried in a pit that had been dug days earlier, and the area was plastered over to avoid suspicion.

The police are still investigating whether other family members were involved or complicit in the crime. “No one will be given a clean chit until the investigation is complete. We will take strict action against anyone found guilty,” ACP Kumar said.

The case has left the neighborhood in shock. Residents are struggling to come to terms with the fact that such a heinous crime could be committed and covered up in their midst for so long. Tanu’s family continues to question the police’s slow response and the possibility that more people were involved in the murder and cover-up.