A young woman from Haryana's Rohtak who had gone to Canada last year to pursue higher studies was allegedly murdered and buried in a field in Sonipat by her lover in June 2022 when she came to meet him, police said Wednesday.

The Crime Investigation Agency of Bhiwani, which is investigating the case, found her skeletal remains on Tuesday along the Garhi Jhanjhara road in Ganaur. The accused, who allegedly shot the women dead, was arrested from Uttar Pradesh on April 2.

CIA-II Bhiwani in-charge Ravindra Kumar told PTI over the phone accused Sunil was already married to another woman when he got involved with the victim, Monica (23). He also had two kids with the other woman.

Sunil and Monica got married at a Ghaziabad temple in May last year when the woman returned from Canada, the officer said, adding she had gone to Canada on a student visa in January 2022 after clearing the IELTS exam.

"During our investigations, it came to the fore that between January 2022 and May 2022, the woman made a couple of trips to India," he added.

Police said Sunil murdered Monica in June 2022 and buried her body in a 10-foot-deep ditch in the fields of a farmhouse on June 29.

Kumar said the woman's family was unaware of her return to the country. They had last year lodged a missing persons complaint after failing to contact with her.

"Their marriage was also registered before a court, where the accused concealed the fact that he was already married," he said.

Kumar said as the woman was a neighbour of the accused in Gumad village in Sonipat, where she was living with her aunt, she was aware of the man's marital status.

On why Sunil killed her, the police officer said, "Sunil did not enjoy a good marital relation with his wife and wanted to settle abroad. He had thought if Monica gets Permanent Residency (PR) in Canada, he too could move there... However, when he felt his plan was not materialising, he murdered Monica." He said preliminary investigations revealed that the farmhouse belongs to the accused, but it was being verified.

The police officer said the skeletal remains have been sent for post-mortem examination to Sonipat Civil Hospital, while procedure for conducting a DNA test was also underway.

A murder case has been registered against the accused. He has also been booked under other charges, including concealing before a court that he was already married, he said.

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