A Dial-112 call by a young woman’s boyfriend foiled an alleged attempt by her family to hurriedly cremate her body. This led to the exposure of what police suspect is a hate crime in Shamli district, officials said on Saturday.

Addressing a press conference, Shamli SP NP Singh said police received information and a police team intercepted the body while it was being taken to the family’s ancestral village, Naunangali, and sent it for a post-mortem examination.

The post-mortem examination confirmed that the woman, identified as Garima, died due to ante-mortem strangulation, prompting police to register a murder case and launch a detailed investigation.

According to the investigation, Garima had been in a relationship with Himanshu for nearly eight years. Himanshu, a friend of her brother Arjun, frequently visited the family’s house, and the two wanted to marry. However, Garima’s family had arranged her marriage elsewhere.

The investigation revealed that Garima was allegedly strangled to death at a house in Khushhali Vihar on Bhainswal Road under Adarsh Mandi police station limits.

The alleged plan was foiled after Himanshu alerted police through Dial-112, enabling officers to seize the body before the last rites could be performed.

Based on the investigation, police have identified Garima’s brother, Arjun, as the prime accused in the murder. Her father has been arrested for his alleged role in the case, while police teams are conducting raids to arrest Arjun and other accused family members allegedly involved.