Garhwal Post Bureau
Haldwani, 12 Feb: Just a day after the murder of a businessman in Dehradun shocked the residents, a major crime has shaken Haldwani after the bodies of a young man and a young woman were recovered from the Naveen Galla Mandi (grain market) premises this morning. The sensational double murder has spread fear across the city. Both victims were brutally killed by having their heads crushed with a heavy stone.
The bodies were found inside the mandi complex early in the morning. As soon as information about the incident was received, there was commotion within the police department. SP City Manohar Katiyar, along with the Circle Officer (CO), the Station House Officer (SHO) and a heavy police force, immediately reached the spot and began a detailed inspection of the crime scene. The police also started questioning people in the surrounding area.
According to the people present at the site, labourers who had arrived in the mandi area for work in the morning were the first to notice the bodies lying there. Shocked by the sight, they immediately informed the police. A forensic team was summoned to the scene and collected crucial evidence. The entire mandi premises were barricaded to ensure that no evidence was disturbed or tampered with.
The condition of the bodies was extremely disturbing. The assailants had mercilessly crushed the heads of both victims with a stone. The heads were smashed so badly that it had become very difficult to identify them by their faces. A large and heavy blood-stained stone, believed to have been used in the crime, was found lying near the bodies. The stone has been seized and marked as evidence by the forensic team.
According to the police, the woman appears to be approximately 21 to 22 years old, while the man is around 30 years of age. However, sometime later during the search, an identity card from Almora district was recovered from the man’s pocket, which helped establish his identity. He has been identified as Shubham Kumar Tamta, a resident of Almora. His Aadhaar card, found in his possession, mentions his date of birth as 31 December 1995. The police also used the mobile number mentioned on the Aadhaar card to gather additional information about him. No such document or item was found on the woman’s body that could assist in confirming her identity. According to the Police, efforts are ongoing to identify her through various means.
SP City Manohar Katiyar shared with the media that information about two bodies lying in the Mandi police outpost area was received in the morning. Prima facie, both appear to have been killed by crushing with a stone. The forensic team and dog squad were deployed at the scene for evidence collection. Based on the documents recovered from the deceased man, his identity was established as Shubham Kumar Tamta, while attempts are being made to identify the woman. Special teams have been constituted to ensure a swift breakthrough in the case.
The police are also examining CCTV footage from cameras installed in and around the mandi premises to trace movements related to the crime. The bodies have been taken into custody and sent for post-mortem examination.
The brutality of the killings has led to speculation that the crime may have been the result of deep-rooted enmity or an act of revenge. Possibility of honour killings is also being speculated. The manner in which both victims were attacked indicates extreme violence. However, the exact motive behind the murders remains unclear at this stage.
The incident comes a day after another shocking murder in the state. Yesterday in Tibetan Market area of Dehradun, one son of a retired Colonel, who operated a gas agency, was shot dead. The double murder in Haldwani now poses a serious challenge for the Nainital police, who are under pressure to unravel the mystery behind this chilling crime at the earliest.
