UP woman found buried in 10-foot pit 2 months after reported 'missing' by in-laws

A 25-year-old woman named Tannu Rajput was found murdered and buried in a 10-foot-deep pit outside her in-laws’ residence in Roshan Nagar, Faridabad, nearly two months after she was reported missing. Her body was exhumed on Friday in the presence of officials, including Naib Tehsildar Jaswant Singh. A post-mortem was conducted at Badshah Khan Civil Hospital, and the body has been handed over to her family.

Tannu, originally from Shikohabad in Firozabad district, Uttar Pradesh, had married Arun Singh in 2023. On April 24, she was declared missing by her husband, who told police that she was mentally challenged. Her father, Hakim, disputed the claim and alleged she was being harassed over dowry. He said she had previously returned to her paternal home due to mistreatment and only returned after intervention by a local panchayat.

According to officials, the murder was carried out secretly and the body buried in a pit dug outside the house on April 23. The pit was reportedly excavated using an earthmover, which was brought in by Arun Singh and his father Bhoop Singh. The pit was filled two days later, and a missing complaint was lodged with police on April 25. Investigators found the claim of her disappearance to be false after further inquiry.

Inspector Satya Parkash, Station House Officer of Palla Police Station, stated that the pit was initially dug under the pretext of installing a sewer connection in an area lacking formal water or drainage infrastructure. The family later filled it with sand and allegedly buried the body there during the night to avoid detection. Neighbours reportedly believed the digging was for drainage purposes and were unaware of any foul play.

Hakim alleged that despite raising suspicion about the freshly filled pit during a visit to his brother-in-law’s house, police did not act on his complaints for several weeks. He claimed that he made multiple visits to the police station with his daughter Preeti before the investigation was taken up seriously a week ago. On Friday morning, the pit was dug up and the woman’s remains were recovered. Her identity was confirmed by her clothes.

Police have arrested four members of the in-laws’ family — Bhoop Singh, his wife Sonia, son Arun Singh, and daughter Kajal — under relevant sections. Bhoop Singh and Arun Singh are currently in police custody. Search operations are ongoing to trace the other accused if any. Police have not disclosed the autopsy findings yet, which are expected next week.