LUCKNOW: A man strangled his wife’s lover to death and buried the body inside a room of the house in Rae Bareli district, with the crime coming to light only after a foul smell emanating from the house alerted villagers two days later, police said.The incident was reported from Pure Rajau Majre village under Dalmau police station limits, around 30 km from the district headquarters.According to the police, the accused allegedly buried the victim’s body beneath the earthen floor of the room and covered the spot with bricks before plastering it over. The victim’s decomposed body was recovered on Friday night after police excavated the floor based on information provided by the accused woman.The body has been sent for post-mortem examination to ascertain the exact cause and time of death.Police said Rita Paswan (29) was married to Ram Prakash Paswan (31), a resident of Bhadokhar, in 2016. The couple has two sons aged eight and seven. Due to prolonged marital disputes, Rita reportedly left her husband in 2020 and began living at her parental home, where she allegedly entered into a relationship with her neighbour, Amit Raidas (26). The two also have a three-year-old daughter, according to police.“During questioning, Rita told police that both Ram Prakash and Amit worked as labourers and that her husband occasionally visited her. According to her statement, on the night of July 29, Ram Prakash came to meet her while she was with Amit. An argument allegedly broke out between the two men, during which Ram Prakash allegedly strangled Amit to death before fleeing the scene, ” said SP, Rae Bareli, Ravi Kumar.“Rita claimed she remained silent out of fear, alleging that she believed her husband might also kill her and was worried about the future of her three-year-old daughter,” added SP Ravi Kumar. The crime surfaced on Aug 1 after villagers noticed a strong foul smell coming from the house and informed village head Akhilesh Yadav. Acting on the information, police reached the spot, excavated the room and recovered Amit’s decomposed body buried beneath the floor.Rita has been taken into custody and is being questioned, while police have launched a search for her absconding husband.Dalmau Station House Officer Raghavan Kumar Singh said a case has been registered against Rita Paswan and her husband Ram Prakash Paswan on a complaint lodged by Amit’s brother. “Rita has been detained and a probe is being conducted,” he said. Police said further investigation is underway, and efforts are on to arrest the main accused.
