A suspected case of honour killing has come to light in West Delhi after police stopped a family from burying a young woman and later confirmed that she had died due to smothering, officials said.
The incident, reported from Hari Nagar, has triggered a murder investigation, with police probing whether the killing was linked to the woman’s relationship with a relative. The case has raised fresh concerns around family-led violence in the name of honour.
According to the police, they received a PCR call on April 1 at around 2 pm. The caller alleged that his cousin’s female friend had been killed by her own family and that preparations were underway to bury the body quietly.
Police reached just as the family was getting ready for the last rites. They stepped in, stopped everything, and took custody of the body.
In the first few conversations, it emerged that the young woman was in a relationship with a male relative. Her family was said to be against it, and police believe this could be the reason behind what happened.
Teams from the Crime Branch and the Forensic Science Laboratory checked the scene. The body was later taken to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for examination.
The post-mortem showed she had been smothered, leaving little doubt that her death was not natural.
A murder case has now been registered at the Hari Nagar police station. Police are questioning family members and others linked to the caller to piece together the sequence of events. Further details are awaited.