Noida Valentine’s Day horror: How a 15-year love story ended

Dubai: A man allegedly shot his girlfriend dead before killing himself inside a car in Noida on Valentine’s Day, in a case police are treating as a suspected murder-suicide. However, the man’s family has disputed the initial findings, claiming the couple may have been murdered.

The incident took place within the jurisdiction of Noida’s Sector 39 police station. According to police, residents reported hearing gunshots and alerted authorities. When officers reached the spot, they found a man and a woman unresponsive inside a locked car.

Both victims had sustained gunshot wounds. A pistol and cartridges were recovered from the vehicle, police said.

The deceased were identified as Rekha (26), a resident of Sector 58 in Noida, and Sumit (32), a resident of Trilokpuri in Delhi.

Police said the two had been missing since the previous day, and missing person complaints had already been filed by their families. Officials added that the couple had reportedly been in a long-term relationship and that both families were aware of it.

According to NDTV, investigators found that the car was locked from the inside and that a pistol was recovered from Sumit’s hand, leading to initial suspicions of a murder-suicide. Senior officers and forensic teams inspected the scene, while the bodies were sent for post-mortem.

Investigators are also examining a WhatsApp text allegedly typed by Sumit at 3:39 pm on Friday, a day before the bodies were discovered. In the message, he reportedly referred to his long relationship with Rekha, claiming the two had been together for 15 years and had planned to marry.

However, he alleged that Rekha had recently decided to marry someone else, a development he linked to taking an extreme step, The Times of India said. It remains unclear whether the message was sent to anyone or saved as a draft.

Police have not officially confirmed the authenticity or status of the message but said digital evidence is being analysed as part of the investigation.

Sumit’s family has questioned the police’s preliminary assessment, alleging that the couple may have been victims of foul play.

PTI reported that family members claimed Rekha’s relatives had previously taunted the couple over caste differences. They also alleged that Sumit’s family had received threatening phone calls, including from international numbers.

A relative told reporters that the car was found only a few hundred metres from Rekha’s village in Salarpur, which the family described as “suspicious.”

“We believe both have been murdered and were victims of casteism,” a cousin of Sumit alleged, according to NDTV.

Family members maintained that there had been no opposition from their side regarding the relationship. One relative said Rekha had attended family functions over the years.

“Sumit is my younger brother. He and the girl had been together for many years. There was never any pressure from our side,” the relative told PTI.

Police said the investigation is ongoing and that all angles, including the family’s allegations, are being examined.