Dehradun: Army officer hammers lover to death, arrested

Dehradun, Sep 12 (IANS) An Army officer allegedly killed the woman of Nepali origin with whom he was having an extramarital affair after she pressured him to marry her, police said on Tuesday.

The accused identified as Lieutenant Colonel Ramendu Upadhyay was arrested on Monday, SSP Dilip Singh Kunwar said.

During interrogation, Upadhyay, 42, confessed to the crime.

Upadhyay told police that he met Shreya Sharma in a dance bar in Siliguri when he was posted in West Bengal and became friends with her. Their friendship tuned into an affair.

Upadhyay said that he and Shreya used to live as husband and wife in Siliguri.

"After getting posting in Dehradun, I brought her with me, but when my wife got to know about Shreya, I sent her back to Siliguri," Upadhyay said.

However, after few days, Upadhyay called her back to Dehradun and rented a flat for her where he used to meet her.

Things turn awry when frequent quarrels started between him and Shreya as she pressured him to marry her. 

The accused said Shreya used to abuse him and ask for liquor and food from hotels. Upadhyay said he used to make food as she did not know how to cook food.

Upadhyay's wife also came to know about Shreya residing in Dehradun after which both of them had an argument.

Pestered by her marriage demand, Upadhyay hatched a conspiracy to kill her under which on September 9, he took her to a club on Rajpur road, made her drink heavily and offered her long drive which she readily accepted.

After taking her to a secluded place, he repeatedly hit her head with a hammer, leading to her on the spot death.

After killing her, he threw her body on road and poured toilet cleaner over her face so that she could not be identified.  

The police have recovered hammer used in the crime, Shreya's identity card, two mobile phones of Upadhyay, clothes of both of them, car used for the crime and toilet cleaner bottle.