Delhi Police have arrested a woman and her boyfriend for allegedly planning and carrying out the murder of her husband and disposing of his body in a drain in Haryana’s Sonipat, an official said on Saturday.
The arrested persons have been identified as 34-year-old Soniya, a resident of Alipur in Delhi, and her 28-year-old boyfriend Rohit from Sonipat. Another accused in the case, Vijay, is absconding.
According to police, the motive behind the murder was the ongoing relationship between Soniya and Rohit, along with the alleged abusive and criminal behaviour of the victim.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Harsh Indora said the victim, 42-year-old Pritam Prakash, had more than 10 criminal cases against him and had been declared a proclaimed offender by a court.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Harsh Indora said, “The victim, Pritam Prakash (42), was a known history-sheeter in Alipur. He had more than 10 cases registered against him, including those under the Arms Act, Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, and under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. He had also been declared a proclaimed offender by the court.”
On July 5, 2024, Pritam had gone to pick up Soniya from her sister’s house in Gannaur, Sonipat. After an argument, Pritam left the house but later returned and pleaded with her, Soniya let him stay in the house. That day, Soniya allegedly offered Rs 50,000 to Vijay, her sister’s brother-in-law, to kill Pritam.
However, that night, while Soniya was sleeping on the terrace, Vijay allegedly killed Pritam and disposed of his body in a drain near Agwanpur. Police said Vijay recorded a video of the body and sent it to Soniya via social media, but the video was later deleted.
On July 20, Soniya filed a missing person complaint at Alipur Police Station, claiming her husband had gone out and never returned.
The case initially did not show any signs of foul play, but investigators grew suspicious after noticing no financial or digital activity from Pritam for weeks.
Police later tracked a mobile number linked to Pritam that had become active again after nearly a year. Surveillance led them to Rohit in Sonipat.
During questioning, Rohit at first misled the police but later admitted to the crime.
Police said Rohit confessed to being in a relationship with Soniya and said they had planned the murder together. He also said Soniya had allegedly paid Vijay to carry out the killing.
Around the same time, Haryana Police had recovered an unidentified male body from the area, but were unable to identify it. The case remained unsolved until Delhi Police linked the details nearly a year later.
According to police, Soniya later sold Pritam’s auto-rickshaw for Rs 4.5 lakh and gave his mobile phone to Rohit. DNA samples collected during the Haryana post-mortem will now be used to confirm the identity of the body.
Police said Soniya married Pritam when she was around 15 years old, against the wishes of their families. They later accepted the marriage, and the couple had three children, including a 16-year-old son and two daughters.
“The marriage was never reported to the police by the families, who later accepted the couple. They have three children from the wedlock, including a 16-year-old boy and two daughters,” the DCP said.
Rohit, according to police, had four previous criminal cases, including charges of murder and possession of illegal arms. He got married in April 2025 but continued his relationship with Soniya. He was working as a private cab driver.
Police are continuing their search for Vijay, who remains missing.
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