Body found in pipe 40 days after murder, wife arrested
Times of India | 24 June 2025
123456 Chanditala (Hooghly): A woman, Aparna Ruidas, has been arrested for the murder of her husband Rabin Ruidas, whose body was found in a deep tubewell pipe half a kilometre from the house of the accused. Jangipara police in Hooghly has also detained his father-in-law Jaydeb Ruidas, brother-in-law Abhijit Ruidas, and sister-in-law's husband Pradip Patra for their involvement in concealing the corpse. The accused appeared before the Srirampur Sub-Divisional Court on Sunday and were placed in police custody for four days to assist with the reconstruction of the crime. The police retrieved the skeletal remains early on Monday. During questioning, Aparna admitted to killing Rabin.Rabin who was from Jangalpara village in Chanditala, Hooghly, was married to Aparna from Radhanagar village in Jangipara. Following their marriage, Aparna was residing at her parents' house with their two children for approximately seven years. Rabin would visit his in-laws' residence occasionally. It was alleged that Rabin was an alcoholic, had an extra-marital affair and did not support his wife and two sons financially. As a result Aparna was forced to live at her father's house with her children. Rabin disappeared 40 days ago after visiting his in-laws' residence in Jangipara. During the investigation, Aparna disclosed that on May 11 evening, she killed her husband with a rope that is used to tie goats. The body was subsequently disposed of in a deep tubewell pipe situated half a kilometre from the house, with assistance from the father-in-law and three others. As 40 days have already passed since the murder and the dumping of the body, a DNA test will now have to be conducted to identify the victim. Police sources said, that apart from a few bones, nothing else could be retrieved. The body had been lying in the open, stuffed inside a water pipeline. "We have decided to inform the victim's relatives to provide samples for a DNA test. These will have to be matched with the remains to identify the body. We will then proceed with our investigation," said SP Kamanashis Sen.Meanwhile, Rabin's family has alleged that the police had not started an investigation even though they had lodged a missing complaint the day after the murder. "It was only after we sent a letter to Nabanna seeking an investigation that we were called by the SP's office. The investigation started only after that. Since the remains are already decomposed beyond recognition, we have no idea if a post-mortem can now be done. This could make it difficult to prove the murder," a relative said.