Kanpur man kills live-in partner over suspected affair; takes selfie before disposing body in Yamuna

The accused in custody of Kanpur police.

A man from Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur killed her live-in partner after he suspected her of having an affair with another man, according to a report by NDTV.

According to police, the incident occurred after a heated argument between 20-year-old Akanksha and her partner, Suraj Kumar Uttam. Two months ago, Uttam became suspicious after learning that Akanksha was communicating with another man. The disagreement escalated violently, with Uttam allegedly hitting her head against a wall and strangling her to death.

Following the murder, Uttam called his friend Ashish Kumar to help him conceal the crime. They stuffed Akanksha’s body into a bag and set out on a motorcycle toward Banda, about 100 km away, planning to dispose of the body in the Yamuna River.

According to the report, Uttam allegedly stopped along the way to take a selfie with the bag, an action that later became crucial evidence in the investigation.

The case began to unfold when Akanksha’s mother filed a missing persons complaint on August 8, alleging that her daughter had been kidnapped by Uttam. Police immediately took Uttam and his friend into custody. During questioning, Uttam confessed to the murder, providing details of the crime and his attempts to mislead authorities.

Uttam, an electrician by profession, revealed that the murder took place on July 21 after an argument over the suspected affair.

Akanksha worked at a restaurant, and the couple had initially connected and fallen in love through Instagram. Uttam said he used to meet her at the restaurant, where she worked with her elder sister. Before moving in with Uttam, Akanksha had lived with her sister in the Barra neighbourhood of Kanpur. The couple later rented a house in Hanumant Vihar.

Police confirmed that Uttam’s attempts to mislead them failed after investigators examined his phone records, which revealed conversations with the victim. The selfie taken with Akanksha’s body was recovered from his phone.

Both Suraj Kumar Uttam and his friend Ashish Kumar have been arrested and sent to jail.