Bathinda, 13 hours ago

A woman was brutally murdered in Punjab’s Bathinda district by slitting her throat, after which her body was dumped in a vacant plot. The deceased had married for love three years ago and is survived by her two-year-old son.

The victim, identified as Ritika Goyal (24), worked at a private clothing showroom in the Bank Bazaar area. Her husband had filed a missing complaint with the police on Saturday when she did not return home from work.

According to police sources, someone close to her may be involved in the murder. The police are investigating all possible angles and motives to confirm the reason behind the crime and arrest the culprit.

Ritika lived in a rented house in Gopal Nagar. Her husband, Sahil Kumar, said he used to drop her at the showroom in the morning and pick her up in the evening. On Saturday, when he went to pick her up, she was not there. The showroom staff told him that she had gone out to buy a mobile phone cover.

When Sahil tried calling her, her phone was switched off. He searched for her at relatives’ and acquaintances’ houses but could not find any clue. After waiting all night, he lodged a missing report at the Canal Police Station on Sunday morning.

The police then traced Ritika’s mobile phone location, which last showed near Thandi Sadak area. During a search there, her body was found lying in a vacant plot. Her throat had been slit with a sharp-edged weapon. The police collected evidence from the spot and sent the body to the hospital for post-mortem examination.

Police officials cordoned off the area after the body was recovered and began their investigation.

SP City Narinder Singh said that teams have been formed under the leadership of a DSP, including CIA Staff-2 and Canal Police Station personnel, to probe the case. “The woman was reported missing, and after extensive search, her body was found in a vacant plot. She was murdered using a sharp weapon. We will solve the case soon,” he said.