Married lover and wife strangle girlfriend:Body sealed in box, dumped in septic tank; both abscond, tattoo reveals identity

Police have identified the woman whose body was recovered from a box inside a septic tank on Thursday evening in Bhopal’s Kamal Nagar area. The deceased is Ashrafi alias Siya, a resident of Gondia district in Maharashtra. Investigators say the 33-year-old had moved to the city after forming a relationship through Instagram with a man already married. She had been living with him and his family, and frequent quarrels between his wife and the victim allegedly led to the murder. The accused couple are on the run. According to Nishatpura police SI Shrikant Dwivedi, Ashrafi became friends online with Bhopal resident Sameer about a year ago. Their interaction turned into a relationship, and nearly three months ago she came to the city and began staying with him at his home in Kamal Nagar. Sameer is married and the father of two. Police say tensions regularly flared between his wife and Ashrafi as all of them stayed under one roof. Investigators believe these disputes prompted Sameer to plan the killing and involve his wife. Murder carried out three days earlier Police suspect that on 9 February, Sameer assaulted and strangled Ashrafi, killing her. He then allegedly hid the body in a metal box and dumped it in a septic tank in a vacant plot near the house. Residents alerted police on Thursday evening after noticing a strong stench. Officers recovered the body and sent it for post-mortem. With no contact yet established with her family, police say they will arrange the burial after examination. Wife’s role under probe; suspects absconding Police state that Sameer’s wife was also involved, while the possible role of other relatives is being examined. Both main suspects are missing, and teams have been formed to trace them. Investigators also found that Ashrafi had earlier married three different men in Maharashtra and Rajasthan. She had been living with Sameer for the past three months. Tattoo and date mark confirm identity Station in-charge Manoj Patwa said the body appeared three to four days old and had begun decomposing, making injury marks difficult to detect. The woman was wearing palazzo trousers and had a lamp tattoo on her hand along with “26 May 1992”, believed to be her birth date. Police circulated her description on social media to establish identity. Police awaiting PM report Officers completed inquest formalities and sent the body for autopsy. Sameer and his wife have been missing since the incident. Police say a murder case will be formally registered after the post-mortem confirms the precise cause of death.