Her body was recovered near Lalton Bus Stand on sept 19: Friend arrested for killing Barnala woman over ₹10,000 debt dispute, say Police

Police on Wednesday arrested a pick-up vehicle driver from Barnala for stabbing to death his 30-year-old female friend following an argument over a ₹10,000 debt. Mani Rani was stabbed multiple times inside the accused’s vehicle before her body was dumped in a vacant plot near Lalton Bus Stand on Pakhowal Road on Saturday (September 19), police said.

The pick-up driver stabbed the 30-year-old woman multiple times inside the vehicle after an argument over loan repayment. (HT)

According to police, the accused, Pappu Sharma, in his late 20s and also from Barnala, was friends with the victim. Mani had borrowed ₹10,000 from Sharma a few months ago but had not returned the money despite his repeated demands, the investigators said.

Inspector Jagdev Singh Dhaliwal, station house officer (SHO) of Sadar police station, said, “Sharma was scheduled to travel to Ludhiana on September 17 to deliver commodities. He called Mani and asked her to accompany him.

The two allegedly argued over the money while travelling. During the argument, Sharma stabbed Mani multiple times with a sharp-edged weapon after she refused to repay the amount and dumped the body at the isolated plot near Lalton Bus Stand.”

“Mani’s body was recovered from a vacant plot near Lalton Bus Stand on Pakhowal Road on September 19. The case had initially posed a challenge for police to identify the woman as she had suffered multiple stab wounds, including injuries to her face and neck. The only clues available to investigators were tattoos on her arms, including a star, a flower and the name ‘Mani’. Using the tattoos and social media, police eventually established her identity as Mani Rani, a resident of Barnala, and contacted her family,” the SHO added.

Mani’s sister, Neelu Rani, told police that Mani had been married but had divorced her husband around five years ago. She had since been living at her parental home.

According to the family, Mani was at home on September 17 when she received a phone call and left the house without informing them. The family later learnt from police that her body was found in Ludhiana.

Dhaliwal said the case was initially treated as a blind murder as the victim’s identity was not known. “With the help of the tattoos on her body and social media, we identified the woman and contacted her family. The investigation eventually led us to the accused arrest,” the SHO said.