New Delhi, Feb 13 (IANS): A 19-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly killing his wife and subsequently burying her body at a field near the railway tracks in north Delhi, police said on Monday.

The main accused was identified as Vicky, a resident of Ashok Vihar while his associates were identified as his mother, Tara Devi and a juvenile.

According to police, on January 25, Savitri Shukla, 55, a resident of Ashok Vihar, said that her daughter, Sapna, 25, married to Vicky and in December last year, while she was walking down their street, she witnessed a quarrel between her daughter and her in-laws.

"When she attempted to intervene and speak to her daughter, she was sent back home. Despite numerous attempts, Savitri couldn't communicate with Sapna. Eventually, when she inquired about Sapna's whereabouts from her mother-in-law, she was informed that both Sapna and Vicky had left home," a senior police official said.

Despite efforts to locate them, Savitri couldn't find them and on January 25, lodged a complaint about her daughter's disappearance at the Ashok Vihar police station.

On February 8, Ashok Vihar police station received a call reporting the discovery of a dead body wrapped in a bed cover inside a pit near the railway line and a police team reached the spot and found it to be a female corpse.

"The body was later identified as Sapna by her mother, Savitri Devi, and other relatives, based on distinctive features including a tattoo of Sapna Vicky on the left hand," said the official.

The autopsy revealed that the cause of death was manual strangulation (throttling)," categorising it as a homicide.

During the investigation, it was revealed that Vicky's mobile phone had been switched off since December 26, 2023, raising suspicions about his involvement. Based on collected evidence and interrogation, Vicky was arrested and confessed to committing the crime with the assistance of his mother and brother.

“Subsequently, co-accused Tara Devi and a juvenile were apprehended from SS Nagar and Azadpur, respectively," the official said.

During interrogation, Vicky admitted that he and Sapna had been married for about a year. He revealed that Sapna was pregnant with his child at the time of their marriage, but she suffered a miscarriage in October 2023 due to her anaemia.

"Vicky confessed that their relationship deteriorated after the miscarriage, marked by frequent arguments and his alcohol consumption," said the official.

He further disclosed that on the night of December 26, 2023, a heated argument turned violent, resulting in Sapna's death and he buried her body in a pit.