Elderly couple killed by daughter-in-law, lover and set afire

HOSHIARPUR: A 56-year-old ex-serviceman and his wife were killed and their bodies set afire allegedly by their daughter-in-law in collusion with her lover at Jaja village near here, police said on Sunday.

Tanda’s Deputy Superintendent of Police Raj Kumar said partially burnt bodies of ex-serviceman Manjit Singh and his 52-year-old wife Gurmit Kaur were found at their residence at the Jaja on Saturday night.

The deceased’s son Ravinder Singh had married Mandeep Kaur in February this year.

After the marriage, Ravinder had gone to Portugal to earn his livelihood. In July, when Ravinder had come to India, he noticed his wife Mandeep Kaur remained busy with someone on her mobile phone.

Sensing something wrong, Ravinder Singh took back the mobile phone from his wife and went back to Portugal.

In Ravinder’s absence, his wife Mandeep allegedly used the mobile phone of her mother-in-law and used to remain busy with someone on the mobile phone to which Manjit Singh and Gurmit Kaur often objected, triggering frequent domestic fights among them.

As the ex-serviceman and his wife informed Ravinder about the Mandeep’s misbehaviour, he returned home last month.

During preliminary investigation, it emerged that Mandeep Kaur knew that her husband Ravinder Singh had gone to Gurdaspur on Saturday.

She called her lover Jasmeet Singh of Daburgi to her house. They both strangled Gurmit Kaur to death and murdered Manjit Singh with some sharp-edged weapon, said police.

Later, they set their bodies on fire, the police said.

Mandeep, however, concocted a story that three unidentified persons killed Manjit Singh and Gurmit Kaur.

Police said both Mandeep and her lover have been arrested on charges of double murder.