Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 16 Mar: The recovery of the body of a woman from a dilapidated structure near Chuna Bhatta in Dehradun created a sensation in the area. The Police have meanwhile expressed apprehension that the death may have been caused by a drug overdose. The incident occurred in the jurisdiction of Raipur police station, and senior police officials, including the SSP Pamendra Dobal, reached the spot after information about the body was received.
According to police, the body of the woman was found inside old ruins near Chuna Bhattah. Marks of injury were also noticed on her body by the witnesses, leading to suspicion and concern among the local residents in the surrounding locality. As soon as the information about the body was received, a police team rushed to the spot. Considering the sensitivity of the matter, senior officers including City SP and the SSP also reached the site to take stock of the situation. A forensic team was also called to examine the spot and collect evidence.
The Police officials said the body appeared to be three to four days old. The discovery of the body led to panic in the neighbourhood. After considerable effort, the police succeeded in identifying the deceased woman. According to officials, the woman was about 28 years old and was reportedly addicted to drugs.
Senior police officers, including Rural SP Jaya Baluni, City SP Pramod Kumar and Senior Superintendent of Police Parmendra Dobal, reached the site and supervised the initial investigation. The area where the body was recovered falls under the jurisdiction of the rural police.
Local residents shared with the media persons that the 28-year-old woman had entered into a love marriage about three years ago. According to them, both the woman and her husband used to consume narcotic substances even before their marriage. The deceased, identified as Shivani, has a two-year-old son. Rawat also said that the woman continued to struggle with drug addiction even after marriage.
The family members of the deceased also admitted that they had on several occasions admitted the woman to a de-addiction centre in Haridwar in an attempt to help her overcome the addiction, but she was unable to give up the habit. It was also stated that her husband is similarly addicted to narcotics and is currently undergoing treatment at a de-addiction centre in Ghaziabad.
According to the information received from relatives, the woman had returned from a de-addiction centre about fifteen days ago. She had reportedly been missing from home for the past three days. Family members said that, in the past she would occasionally leave the house in an intoxicated condition and return after a day or two. The woman has a younger sister who is presently taking care of her child, while her father works as a school auto-rickshaw driver.
During her interaction with the media persons, the deceased woman’s mother has levelled serious allegations against the police. She claimed that narcotic substances, particularly smack, are being sold openly in the Chuna Bhatta area. She alleged that her daughter lost her life because of police negligence, adding that she had repeatedly informed the police about the sale of drugs in the locality but no effective action was taken.
SSP Dobhal said that further investigation into the incident is under way and that the exact cause of death would be known only after the post-mortem report is received. He said that prima facie the woman’s death appeared to have been caused by an overdose of narcotic substances.
The incident comes amid growing concern over crimes involving women in Dehradun. Earlier this year, within a span of five days between the end of January and the beginning of February, three women were murdered in separate incidents in the region.
