In a shocking incident, a Gurgaon man murdered his wife and managed to evade lockdown and flee 500km away to Kanpur hitching rides to cross the border.
The accused identified as Satanu Mohammad, a cook, had, on April 17, thrashed his wife to death with a cricket bat and fled, dumping the body in a bed box.
Tracing his mobile location, Gurgaon police managed to nab him from Kanpur, while he was sleeping on a footpath. He confessed to the murder and also narrated how he managed to escape the lockdown.
The accused had, a few days ago, got a message from cab aggregator Ola providing emergency service to non-COVID-19 patients to either be dropped or picked from a hospital.
“I took a lift from a biker who dropped me in DLF area from where I booked an Ola and easily crossed border saying we were going to Safdurjung hospital in Delhi. I roamed around and rested in reception of the hospital, bought some food and water and walked to my relatives' village in Noida. I rented a cycle from them, took some money and reached Bulandshahr. I took lift from a truck driver after paying him. I got down at Kanpur to have water when he ditched me and fled. I was sure police will never come looking for me as they were busy with COVID-19 lockdown duty,” Satanu told police.
According to the police, both he and his wife Shahnaz Bibi lived in a PG in Rajiv Nagar area and worked there as cooks. It was second marriage for both. Satanu was infuriated when he came to know that she was still in touch with her first husband.
“He claimed that he had warned her but she did not listen and during a fight he thrashed her with a cricket bat. The accused had tied her legs and hands and dumped her body in a bed box. The PG owner on noticing that couple was missing since many hours went looking in their room and seeing blood called the police,” said ACP (Crime) Preet Pal Singh Sangwan.
