Chhattisgarh: Cousins killed by kin over love affair

Two cousins, who were reportedly in a relationship, were killed by their own family members and their bodies were burnt. The victims had eloped last month but were brought back from Chennai.

Durg (Chhattisgarh): In a suspected case of honour killing, a 21-year-old man and his cousin sister were allegedly poisoned to death by their family members in Chhattisgarh's Durg district. The cousins were allegedly poisoned to death for reportedly engaging in a love affair, police said on Sunday.

The victims, Shrihari and his cousin Aishwarya (20), hailed from Krishna Nagar locality under Supela police station limits, they said.

"The incident took place on Saturday, following which the accused identified as victims' uncle Ramu and the woman's brother Charan were arrested," Ajit Yadav, City Superintendent of Police (CSP) of Bhilai Nagar said.

"Last month, Shrihari and Aishwarya had eloped from their houses, located next to each other in Krishna Nagar, following which the family had lodged their missing complaint," he said.

Durg police later traced their location in Chennai and sent a team there. The two were brought back here on October 7 and handed over to their family after completing legal formalities, he said.

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"On Saturday night, a police team received information about some suspicious activities in their houses and went inside for a normal interrogation. Shrihari and Aishwarya were not found in their respective houses and when police asked about them, the two accused admitted to poisoning the victims to death," he said.

The accused also told the investigators that they burnt the bodies on the bank of Shivnath river near Jevra Sirsa village, around 10 kms from Supela, he said.

According to the accused, the victims were in a relationship and wanted to get married, but the family members were against it, he said.

When asked about whether the cousins tied a knot, the police said," It is too early to comment anything. We are investigating from all angle."

Police have recovered the partially burnt bodies of the victims and a case has been registered in this connection, the CSP said, adding that further probe is underway.

"If needed, we will do the DNA test for a conclusive report," the police officer added.

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With PTI inputs