Unnao police arrested a woman, her neighbour and two others after recovering her husband's body from a box beside a highway. CCTV footage and loader vehicle details helped investigators trace the accused within 12 hours.
During questioning, the wife told police that the man frequently returned home drunk and assaulted her. (Credits: UP Police)
Unnao, Uttar Pradesh,Oct 22, 2026 08:29 IST
Police in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao have arrested four people, including a woman, her neighbour and a minor, in connection with the murder of a man whose body was found stuffed inside a box and dumped along a highway.
Police said they cracked the case within 12 hours with the help of CCTV footage and the registration number of a loader vehicle used to transport the box.
The body of Sonu, a resident of Achalganj, was found inside a box along the Unnao-Rae Bareli highway near Achalganj. He had been living with his wife, Neha, in a rented house in Kanchan Nagar under the Gangaghat Kotwali police station area.
According to Superintendent of Police Jai Prakash Singh, a police team traced the loader after examining CCTV footage from the area.
Investigators found that the vehicle had travelled towards Achalganj with the box and returned without it. The registration number led police to the vehicle’s owner and driver, helping them identify the suspects.
Police said Neha had hired the loader for Rs 1,200. Two other people, including a minor and a man - Toufeeq, were also arrested for their reported involvement in disposing of the body.
WIFE CLAIMS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
During questioning, Neha told police that Sonu frequently returned drunk, assaulted her and brought other women to the house.
She claimed that he beat her on October 19 and that she had reported the incident to the police. Officers reportedly warned Sonu before leaving.
According to the police account of Neha’s statement, Sonu later drank alcohol with their neighbour, Jitendra Singh alias Rahul, and another altercation followed.
Sonu fell to the ground during the confrontation and sustained injuries to his head and nose.
Neha claimed that Rahul strangled Sonu to death. She told police that Rahul subsequently arranged for a loader and labourers to transport the body after it was placed inside a box.
She further claimed that Rahul and the labourers demanded additional money while moving the box. When she refused to pay, they left it beside the highway and fled.
Rahul, however, denied involvement in the murder. He told police that he had returned from Kanpur on October 19 and that Neha had asked him to arrange a loader and labourers to move her belongings to a new house in Gardan Khera.
He claimed that his role was limited to arranging the vehicle and workers and also said that Neha had already killed Sonu before asking for help.
COUPLE HAD BEEN LIVING TOGETHER FOR YEARS
According to the police, Neha had married a man named Jagdish, a resident of Malihabad in Lucknow, around 23 years ago. She had four daughters from that marriage and had been living with Sonu as his wife for almost a decade now. The couple also had a five-year-old son, police said.
Khushboo, Rahul’s wife, told police that Neha and Sonu had moved into a rented house in Kanchan Nagar about a month earlier. She said the couple frequently fought, and the landlord eventually asked them to vacate the premises.
Police said five teams were involved in the investigation before CCTV footage and the loader’s registration number helped establish the sequence of events. The investigation is continuing to determine the precise circumstances of the murder and the roles of the four people arrested.
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