Bathinda/Moga, Feb 14: A 35-year-old unemployed man has been taken into custody for the murder of a woman in Bathinda after her semi-charred body was found abandoned in a suitcase on the city’s outskirts. Prince Kumar faces charges for the killing of Sapna, a Moga native, following a police investigation that tracked the pair’s final movements through digital and physical evidence.
The victim was allegedly stabbed to death on February 9 at Kumar’s home. Police officials stated that the suspect retained the body for 48 hours, eventually attempting to incinerate it before placing it in luggage. The suitcase was later discovered near Behman Diwana village on the intervening night of February 10-11.
Senior Superintendent of Police Jyoti Yadav Bains said the incident appeared to be a “crime of passion” involving the two acquaintances. She also noted a macabre detail discovered during the probe.
“After the crime, the accused had a picture of himself and the victim tattooed on his chest,” SSP Bains mentioned.
Law enforcement officers narrowed their search after reviewing security cameras in the Parasram Nagar locality, which provided the last known sighting of the victim alive on February 7. The SSP also directly said that the accused was struggling with substance abuse and was the sole individual involved in the homicide.
The victim’s background involved a history of personal estrangement; she had been living on her own after a marriage her parents did not approve of. Her family members have not yet stepped forward to claim the remains. While the autopsy reportedly showed multiple deep stab wounds, officials declined to provide further details regarding her private life.
“The knife used in the attack and the car used to move the suitcase have been recovered by our teams,” the SSP confirmed.
