NEW DELHI: A gruesome murder shocked Bulandshahr when Babli Devi, a 38-year-old woman from Delhi, was allegedly lured to a village and brutally beheaded by her lover and an accomplice, police said. The horrifying incident came to light on March 15, when her decomposed torso was found near a canal in a forested stretch of Ghunghrawali village, sparking a tense investigation with no immediate leads. Her last rites were performed on March 18, as authorities struggled to identify the victim.On March 15, Vikas allegedly lured Babli to his village in Bulandshahr. They went there on a bike, where Vikas, along with his cousin Sachin and friend Aman Kumar, consumed alcohol before committing the crime. According to the SP, the trio grabbed Babli by her limbs, decapitated her with a sharp weapon, and threw her head about 500 meters away to conceal her identity.The case took a turn when Babli’s family in Delhi — including her mother, daughter, and brother-in-law — spotted her photo posted by the police on social media and confirmed her identity on March 22.Bulandshahr SP City, Shanker Prasad, said the prime accused, Vikas Kumar (32), a native of Bulandshahr, had been Babli’s ‘lover’ for about three years. The two had lived together in Delhi after Babli’s husband died of cancer two-and-a-half years ago. Vikas had previously worked with Babli’s late husband at a private hospital and was known to the family. Their relationship reportedly began to collapse when Vikas decided to marry someone else in December 2025, while Babli allegedly continued pressuring him to stay with her.After the murder, Vikas reportedly attended a family function in his village and later returned to Muradnagar, Ghaziabad, where he had relocated after marriage. He also lodged a “missing person” complaint to mislead the authorities.Through surveillance, police confirmed Vikas’s presence near the crime scene. Vikas was arrested in Muradnagar, while Aman Kumar was picked up from Bulandshahr. The weapon used in the murder, along with illegal firearms and the bike, were recovered. Both Vikas and Aman have confessed. Efforts are ongoing to apprehend Sachin. An FIR has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including murder and disappearance of evidence.
