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Surat, April 27 (IANS) A missing person complaint in Surat has led to the alleged murder of a woman by her husband, with police stating that the case involved concealment of the body inside a cement-filled wooden box at an abandoned house in the Salabatpura area.

According to officials, the matter came to light on April 25 when the victim’s father lodged a complaint alleging that his daughter Shilpa (39) had been killed by her husband, Vishal Salvi (40), and that he had initially misled the family by claiming she was missing.

Police said Salvi had himself filed a missing person complaint on April 24 after being questioned by family members.

However, investigators found inconsistencies in his version of events, prompting further verification and surveillance.

During the investigation, police recovered a handwritten note allegedly written by the accused in which he confessed to killing his wife on April 20 following a domestic dispute and provided details about the concealment of the body.

Acting on this information, police teams searched an abandoned house under Salabatpura police limits, where they discovered the body inside a wooden box filled with cement and soil.

Officials said the body was found in a concealed condition and that measures appeared to have been taken to suppress odour at the location, including the use of spray.

Police also stated that the body was recovered without clothing.

Following technical surveillance and CCTV analysis of the surrounding areas, Salvi was arrested in Antroli village after being on the run.

Police said multiple teams worked on tracing his movements after the incident, leading to his detention.

According to police, Shilpa was employed in the private sector as a dietician, while the accused had previously worked in the diamond industry but was unemployed at the time of the incident. He had studied up to the upper primary level.

Investigators said the couple had been married for several years and had two children.

Preliminary inquiry has indicated that prolonged domestic disputes, financial strain, unemployment, and suspicion linked to the victim’s frequent phone conversations are among the factors being examined as possible motives.

Police sources said the accused was dependent on his wife’s income and that tensions had increased in the household in recent months.

Family members told investigators they became suspicious after receiving unclear and contradictory explanations about Shilpa’s whereabouts, which led them to approach the police.

The case has been registered under sections 103(1) and 238 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

Police said further forensic examination is underway to establish the exact cause of death and to verify the sequence of events leading to the concealment of the body.

--IANS

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