Daijiworld Media Network - Noida
Noida, Feb 15: A WhatsApp message allegedly typed by a 32-year-old man hours before he was found dead along with his girlfriend has emerged as a key element in the probe into the Valentine’s Day deaths in Uttar Pradesh’s Noida, even as both families have raised allegations of foul play.
The bodies of Sumit (32), a resident of Trilokpuri in Delhi, and Rekha (26), from Sector 101 in Noida, were discovered on Saturday with gunshot wounds inside a locked car near Sector 107. Police said a pistol was recovered from Sumit’s hand and preliminary assessment points towards a possible case of suicide.
Investigators are examining a WhatsApp message allegedly typed by Sumit at 3.39 pm on Friday. In the text, he reportedly mentioned that the two had been in a relationship for 15 years and had planned to marry. However, he claimed that Rekha had recently decided to marry someone else, a development he linked to taking an extreme step. It is yet to be ascertained whether the message was sent to anyone or saved as a draft.
Sumit’s relatives questioned the suicide theory and alleged that the couple had faced caste-based hostility and threats. A family member claimed that both were victims of casteism and suggested they may have been murdered. The family stated that the couple had been together for over a decade and that both families were aware of the relationship. They also alleged receiving threatening calls, including from international numbers.
Rekha’s family, however, offered a different account, alleging that Sumit had previously harassed her and that a complaint had been filed in the past, which was later resolved after he apologised. Her brother said the relationship had become strained in recent months as the family was arranging her marriage elsewhere due to caste differences.
Rekha’s family also described the circumstances as suspicious, pointing out that the car was found only a few hundred metres from their village in Salarpur.
Police maintained that the recovery of the pistol from Sumit’s hand and the car being locked from inside indicate a possible suicide. Senior officers and forensic teams have inspected the spot, and the post-mortem report is awaited.
Officials said the investigation is ongoing and that all angles, including allegations made by both families, are being thoroughly examined.