Widow strangled and dumped in Yamuna by property dealer in UP's Etawah

In a shocking case from Uttar Pradesh’s Etawah, a 28-year-old widow named Anjali was allegedly strangled to death by a property dealer after she confronted him over the non-completion of a land deal, despite paying ₹6 lakh in installments. The gruesome act took place on April 7, 2025, and the victim’s body was later recovered from the Yamuna River.

Anjali, a mother of two children, had been in contact with a local property dealer named Shivendra alias Bala. She had paid him a total of ₹6 lakh in multiple installments for a plot of land. However, the registration of the plot was never completed. When Anjali persistently asked for a refund, the accused allegedly decided to eliminate her.

On the pretext of returning the money, Shivendra invited Anjali to his house. Once she arrived, he and his friend Gaurav served her alcohol and then strangled her to death. The two later transported her body and dumped it under a bridge in the Yamuna river to cover up the crime.

Anjali’s elder sister, Kiran, raised an alarm when she didn’t return that night. She reported to police that Shivendra had earlier handed over fake property documents to Anjali and had been delaying the plot possession for the past two months. Her suspicions played a crucial role in triggering a police investigation.

As the probe unfolded, Anjali’s burnt scooter was discovered in a drain, further raising suspicion. Shivendra was taken into custody, and during interrogation, he confessed to the crime. Based on his disclosure, police recovered the body several kilometers downstream with help from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF).

Senior police official Sanjay Kumar confirmed the arrests of both Shivendra and Gaurav. “We’ve recovered the body, the burnt scooter, the car used in the crime, and the towel used in the murder,” he said. The family has identified the body and demanded strict action against the culprits.