Woman Found Dead In Rudraprayag Hotel; Live-in Partner, Friend Arrested For Murder
According to police, a call was received at the Rudraprayag Kotwali Police Station at around 8 pm on March 7 from the Galaxy Hotel.
Published : March 12, 2026 at 3:51 AM IST
Rudraprayag: On Wednesday, March 11, police arrested two people in connection with a murder case of a young woman whose body was found in a hotel in Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand, on March 7. Both accused were arrested from the Kaithal district in Haryana.
According to police, a call was received at the Rudraprayag Kotwali Police Station at around 8 pm on March 7 from the Galaxy Hotel. The caller informed the police that a young woman staying in one of the hotel rooms was lying unconscious. Police team rushed to the spot and took the woman to the district hospital in Rudraprayag, where doctors declared her dead.
Police sealed the hotel room and began collecting evidence with the help of a forensic team. Initial investigations revealed that the woman had checked into the hotel on the night of March 6, 2026, along with her live-in partner and one of his friends. The next day, the two men left the hotel stating they would return shortly. However, when they did not come back until evening, the hotel management grew suspicious and informed the police.
During the investigation, police found that the woman and the two men were residents of Haryana. The victim’s family members were contacted. On March 8, the victim’s relatives arrived in Rudraprayag and identified the deceased as Kajal, around 30 years old, a resident of Pipli in Kurukshetra district of Haryana.
After completing the legal formalities and conducting a post-mortem examination, police registered a murder case against Arun and Akshay based on a complaint filed by the victim’s brother, Akbar.
Superintendent of Police of Rudraprayag, police teams analysed CCTV footage, used surveillance inputs, and carried out manual investigation to trace the accused. Following continuous efforts, both suspects were arrested on the evening of March 10 from the Patiala Road area under the Cheeka police station limits in Kaithal district and were brought to Rudraprayag.
During interrogation, the main accused Arun Kumar said that he had been in a live-in relationship with Kajal for the past four years, and both families were aware of it. On March 4, 2026, Arun left for a trip with Kajal and his friend Akshay. After travelling through Ambala and Haridwar, they reached Rudraprayag on March 6 and checked into the hotel.
Police said that on the morning of March 7, during an argument over an issue, Arun allegedly held Kajal’s hands and legs while Akshay first strangled her and later used Kajal’s dupatta to choke her to death. After committing the murder, the two accused locked the room and fled.
Police also revealed that both accused have a previous criminal record. A case of snatching had been registered against them under Section 304(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Cheeka police station in Kaithal district, in which they were arrested on January 24, 2026. Police are currently gathering details about their other criminal activities.
The arrested accused have been identified as Arun Kumar (21), son of Rajesh, a resident of Ward No. 17 in Cheeka, Kaithal district, and Akshay (23), a resident of Ward No. 3, Jaton Ka Mohalla, also under Cheeka police station in Kaithal district. Police said further investigation in the case is ongoing.
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