A 42-year-old electrical contractor, Virendra Sharma alias Sonu, was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly murdering his former wife, Madhu Sharma (41), during a trip to Haridwar, Uttarakhand. Police recovered her body from a forest ditch where he had disposed of it.
According to ACP Gyan Prakash Rai of Modinagar police, the case began when Madhu’s sister, Manju Sharma, filed a missing person complaint on January 23. Madhu had left for work at a boutique in Raj Nagar on January 21 but never returned. Her phone was switched off, raising concerns.
Manju later suspected Virendra’s involvement and filed a second complaint on January 31. The police registered a case under Section 140(1) related to kidnapping or abduction with intent to murder and began investigating.
Police arrested Virendra from Saunda Road after receiving a tip-off. They also seized his car, a Maruti Swift (UEN-9706), which he used to take Madhu to Haridwar.
Virendra admitted to marrying Madhu in December 2002; however, they separated two years later and were granted a unilateral divorce in July 2014. Following the divorce, Madhu filed a maintenance case against him in Ghaziabad family court. In September last year, the court ordered Virendra to pay Rs 6,000 monthly and Rs 5 lakh in arrears.
To avoid these payments, Virendra lured Madhu on January 21 to Haridwar under the pretext of visiting the Chandi Mandir temple. Instead of taking the ropeway, he convinced her to walk a 3 km trek. During their return, approximately 1.5 km from the parking area, he strangled her with her dupatta and hid her body in a forest ditch, covering it with stones.
Following Virendra’s confession, police recovered Madhu’s body and sent it for autopsy. Authorities await the reports and plan to add murder charges based on the findings.
