Patna: The body of a 23-year-old woman was exhumed from 10 feet below the ground in the presence of a magistrate in Naubatpur police station area of Patna on Saturday. The deceased, a newly married woman from Ajma village who tied the knot in Feb 2026, was allegedly murdered by her in-laws and their accomplices in a suspected dowry-related case. Her body was buried deep in a field using a JCB machine, and the accused also set the area on fire to destroy evidence.City SP (West) Bhanu Pratap Singh, who was present at the spot, said the woman’s in-laws approached Naubatpur police station claiming she died by suicide on April 22. “However, the failure to recover the body immediately raised serious suspicions. A special team was constituted under the leadership of SDPO II Phulwarisharif, including the SHO of Naubatpur and technical/intelligence personnel. Through effective intelligence and meticulous investigation, the police team located the burial site,” he said.The body was recovered and sent for post-mortem examination. The FSL team was also called to the spot for evidence collection.Singh said preliminary investigation revealed the entire family of the in-laws, along with five to seven other individuals, was involved in the planned murder. “Serious cases under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita — including murder, dowry death, and destruction of evidence — are being registered against the accused,” he said.Police have launched raids at multiple locations to arrest all those involved. Further legal proceedings are underway. The police administration has assured strict action and expressed confidence in securing conviction so the guilty do not escape justice.Phulwarisharif SDPO II Deepak Kumar said an FIR has been registered against six named accused and five to seven unidentified people. “All the accused are absconding after committing the crime,” he added.
