Holding on to bushes in which she was stuck after being pushed into a 100-metre deep gorge with her throat allegedly slit, a 26-year-old woman managed to climb up and seek help, surviving what police on Daturday described was a planned attempt on her life by her husband, his brother and a friend in Himachal Pradesh’s Solan district.
The incident, which took place around 8.30 pm on Friday at a secluded spot on Old Barog Road near Dehunghat, about 1 km from Solan town, bears a chilling resemblance to a recent case in which a woman and her boyfriend allegedly killed her fiancé by pushing him off a cliff in Pune.
Locals informed the police and took the survivor, identified as Monica Devi, to the Civil Hospital in Solan. She was later referred to Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), Shimla, where her condition is stated to be stable.
Based on her statement, police identified the accused as Monica’s husband Dalip Kumar (28), his brother Shivam (20), both residents of Bahraich district, and their friend Madan Kumar (28) of Gonda, all in Uttar Pradesh. Based on inputs from an eyewitness, they were arrested just about half an hour later, police said.
Police said Dalip allegedly conspired to kill Monica following a long-standing marital dispute. He allegedly lured his wife from Uttar Pradesh to Solan on the pretext of a sightseeing trip before taking her to an isolated spot near Dehunghat, where the trio allegedly attacked her with a knife, slit her throat and pushed her into the gorge. They left the place believing she had died.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Solan, Raj Kumar, said, “The crime took place in the backdrop of a matrimonial dispute. The victim along with suspects had arrived in Solan from UP yesterday evening. Preliminary investigation suggests that the victim Monica and Dalip Kumar tied the knot in 2023. Subsequently, they developed differences and parted away. They were reunited recently. The suspects are being interrogated to ascertain the exact motive behind the crime. They are laborers. They were arrested for attempted murder.”
Assistant Superintendent of Police, Solan, Raj Kumar said, “The crime took place in the backdrop of a matrimonial dispute. The victim along with suspects had arrived in Solan from UP on Friday evening. Preliminary investigation suggests that the Monica and Dalip tied the knot in 2023. Subsequently, they developed differences and parted away. They were reunited recently. The suspects are being interrogated to ascertain the exact motive behind the crime. They are labourers”.
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A police officer, part of the investigating team, said the couple’s relationship had deteriorated within months of their marriage. During questioning, Dalip allegedly claimed that his wife had eloped with another man and returned to him after nearly two years. Investigators suspect that he remained suspicious of Monica and allegedly planned to kill her.
An eyewitness helped investigators piece together the sequence of events. Police said Naresh Kumar, a resident of Barog, told them that between 8.15 pm and 8.30 pm on July 10, he saw three men accompanied by a woman near Dehunghat. Suspicious of their activities, he returned to the spot and allegedly witnessed the trio pushing the woman into the gorge before fleeing towards Nagali on foot. He also noticed blood stains near the roadside parapet.
As per the investigators, a caller informed the Saproon Police Post that a woman had been pushed into a gorge following which teams from police post and Sadar Solan Police Station rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation. The accused, who allegedly tried to flee to Uttar Pradesh, were arrested within about 30 minutes, police said.
A case has been registered at Sadar Solan Police Station under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Police said scientific and physical evidence has been collected from the crime scene, while the criminal antecedents of the accused are being verified. Further investigation is underway.
