Noida: The Noida Police on Wednesday said they had solved the case in which a woman’s headless and handless body was found in a drain in Sector 108 on November 6.
Police identified the deceased as 30-year-old Preeti Yadav, also known as Preeti Devi. Her alleged lover, Monu Solanki, a bus driver originally from Nehru Nagar in Etah district, Uttar Pradesh, and currently living in Baraula village, has been arrested. According to officials, Preeti had been living separately from her husband and staying in Baraula with her two children, aged eight and five. Her rented accommodation was only a few hundred metres from Monu’s residence.
“Preeti and Monu were in a relationship, and she had been repeatedly pressuring him to leave his wife and marry her. She was also frequently demanding money from him,” said Yamuna Prasad, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Noida.
Police further claimed that Preeti allegedly threatened to involve Monu’s daughter in “unethical matters”, which infuriated him and led to the murder. “To crack the case, two police teams were formed. Officers checked nearly 1,100 vehicles and analysed around 70,000 mobile numbers through surveillance. A vital clue came from CCTV footage showing a bus passing the crime spot with its headlights off. This helped us narrow down the suspect. When officers reached Monu’s house, they found Preeti’s children and learnt she had been missing, further heightening suspicion. Monu was taken into custody and confessed during interrogation,” Prasad said.
Police stated that on November 5, Monu took Preeti to Sector 105 in his bus, where he killed her. He allegedly severed her head and hands to hide her identity, dumped the torso in Sector 108, and crushed the remaining parts with the bus. Police have recovered the remains, clothing, a chopper and the bus mat; further investigation continues.