In an unusual hunt for evidence, Lucknow police are tracing the route of a municipal garbage vehicle in search of the dupatta allegedly used to strangle 25-year-old pet trainer Pankaj Tiwari.
How events unfolded
Police believe the cloth was thrown into a garbage collection vehicle after Tiwari was killed at his in-laws’ house in Takrohi, Indiranagar, and are now trying to retrace its journey to determine where the vehicle took the waste and where it was eventually unloaded. “The possibility that the cloth has already been mixed with a large quantity of municipal waste is what makes the recovery particularly difficult. Police subsequently arrested Neha, her parents and her two brothers in connection with the murder. They were produced before a court and sent to jail.
Because recovering the cloth could provide an important piece of physical evidence in the murder case,” the officer added, police teams, however, are pursuing the trail. Because he had met her during one of his sessions and feared that he might repeat the same behaviour, investigators said Neha suspected that he could be involved with another woman.
Pankaj was strangled using a dupatta and hands during an argument at the house, according to police. “After the killing, the accused allegedly disposed of the cloth by throwing it into a garbage vehicle that had come to collect waste from the area,” police said in a statement. Police said an argument over Tiwari allegedly returning late from a dog-care session escalated and resulted in his killing.
People Involved
Pankaj’s family had initially suspected that he had been poisoned after noticing blood and froth around his mouth. The post-mortem, however, ruled out the fall theory and pointed to strangulation.
His in-laws had allegedly told them that he had fallen down the stairs and suffered fatal injuries.
Investigation and Response
He was initially believed to have died after a fall at his in-laws’ house on August 7, but the autopsy established that he had been strangulated. The hunt for the cloth comes after the investigation into Pankaj’s death took a dramatic turn following his post-mortem examination.
