Office affair turns deadly: HR manager beheaded by lover in Agra

Dubai: A 32-year-old HR manager was brutally murdered, beheaded and dismembered by her lover before her body was stuffed into a gunny bag and dumped near a bridge over the Yamuna river in Agra, police said on Monday.

The accused, identified as Vinay Singh (30), was arrested following a swift investigation aided by CCTV footage, according to The Times of India.

Police are continuing efforts to recover the victim’s severed head.

The woman was identified as Minky Sharma, a resident of Tedhi Bagiya area of Agra. She worked as an HR manager with a private firm in Sanjay Place, where the accused was employed as a computer operator.

Police said the two had been in a relationship for over two years. However, Singh allegedly became suspicious after learning that Minky had been in contact with another man over the past six months, leading to frequent arguments.

According to police, Minky left her home around 2pm on January 23, informing her family that she was heading to her office. When she failed to return by evening and her phone was found switched off, family members searched for her before lodging a missing complaint at the Trans Yamuna police station, ToI said.

In the early hours of January 24, locals noticed a gunny bag lying on Jawahar Bridge under the Etmadullah police station area and alerted police. Upon opening the bag, officers found the naked, headless body of a woman, triggering an intensive investigation to establish her identity.

DCP (City) Sayed Ali Abbas formed five police teams to crack the case.

“A review of CCTV footage showed a man dragging a gunny bag out of an office premises before riding a scooter towards Jawahar Bridge,” a police officer said.

Footage from multiple locations, including Maruti Plaza, MG Road and the highway, helped police identify the suspect as Vinay Singh, who was seen riding the victim’s scooter.

Heated argument

During interrogation, Singh confessed to the crime, police said.

He reportedly called Minky to the office on January 23, where a heated argument broke out over their relationship.

“In a fit of rage, he attacked her repeatedly with a knife and inflicted a fatal blow to her neck,” an officer said.

The accused then dismembered the body, packed it into a plastic bag, sealed it with parcel tape and placed the severed head in a backpack.

Police said Singh attempted to dump the body into the Yamuna river by taking it on Minky’s scooter to Jawahar Bridge. However, when he failed to lift the heavy bag and noticed passersby, he abandoned it near the bridge and fled.

He later disposed of the severed head, the victim’s clothes, mobile phone and bag near a drain, and left the scooter at a secluded location, police added.

An FIR has been registered at the Trans Yamuna police station under Sections 103(1) (murder) and 238 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant provisions of the Arms Act.

Police have recovered the scooter used in the crime, the knife and the victim’s clothes.

DCP Abbas said investigations revealed that Singh wanted to marry Sharma, but she had refused.

“The accused has confessed to the murder. He is being sent to judicial custody, and strict action will be taken as per law,” Abbas said.

Efforts are ongoing to recover the severed head and other evidence linked to the crime.