In a shocking incident that highlights the dangers of online relationships, a 26-year-old army jawan has been arrested for the brutal murder of a 17-year-old girl in Prayagraj's Tharwai village. The accused, identified as Naik Harshvardhan Singh alias Deepak, allegedly stabbed the Class XI student to death and buried her body in a secluded forested area.
The Fatal Instagram Connection
According to police investigations, the victim and the accused had been in regular contact through Instagram for approximately eight months. Their online friendship had developed into a relationship through regular chatting and video calls since June this year. The situation turned deadly when the girl began pressuring Harshvardhan to marry her, despite his upcoming wedding scheduled for November 30.
"He feared she might create problems for him, so he planned to eliminate her," revealed a police officer involved in the investigation. The accused, who had been on leave since November 8, pretended he was ready to marry the teenager and lured her out of her home under the pretext of going to school.
How the Murder Unfolded
On the fateful day, Harshvardhan picked up the victim on his motorcycle while she was wearing her school uniform. After spending several hours together, around 5 PM, he took her to a remote forested patch near Tharwai village. There, he allegedly stabbed her to death with a knife and buried the body using a shovel he found at a nearby temple.
The accused made a critical mistake by not burying the body deep enough. A local resident spotted one of the victim's hands protruding from the shallow grave and immediately alerted the police. Officers rushed to the scene, exhumed the body, and launched a detailed investigation.
The Investigation Breakthrough
The case began when the victim's parents filed a kidnapping complaint on November 10 after their daughter failed to return home from school. A massive search operation was launched immediately. Five days later, on November 15, police discovered the teenager's body along with her schoolbag containing her books, a box of vermillion, and a mirror.
The investigation took a crucial turn when police found the name "Deepak" along with a mobile number written inside one of her notebooks. CCTV footage collected from the area showed a man riding a motorcycle with the girl in school uniform seated behind him. Police identified the suspect through the vehicle's registration number and the mobile number recovered from the notebook.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Prayagraj, Kuldeep Singh Gunawat confirmed, "We have arrested the accused and he will be produced before the court." During interrogation, Harshvardhan admitted to the crime and claimed the victim had been demanding marriage despite his repeated attempts to dissuade her.
Police have recovered the murder weapon, the motorcycle used in the crime, and have retrieved the complete Instagram chat history between the two. The accused had discarded the victim's schoolbag about one-and-a-half to two kilometers away from the crime scene before escaping.
