In a chilling late-night operation on January 7 in Tikwapur village near Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh police, armed with torches and vehicle headlights, dug deep into the cold earth near a village tower. After hours of painstaking effort, workers reached seven feet underground and unearthed a human skeleton, exposing a murder that had remained hidden for nearly 10 months and sending shockwaves through the quiet rural community.

The skeletal remains have been identified as those of 45-year-old Reshma, a mother of seven children, who was allegedly strangled to death by her live-in partner and neighbor, Gorelal, during a violent argument in April last year. Police confirmed the identification through jewellery and remnants of clothing recognized by her family, and the bones have now been sent for detailed forensic examination and DNA testing to solidify the case.

Reshma's life took a tragic turn after her husband, Rambabu Sankhwar, passed away three years ago, leaving her to raise four sons and three daughters alone. Soon afterward, she entered into a relationship with Gorelal, who lived nearby, and eventually left her children to move in with him. Hurt and angered by her decision to abandon the family for her lover, her children distanced themselves completely, cutting off all contact and deepening the rift.

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The breakthrough came from Reshma's son Babloo, who, despite the strained relationship, invited his mother to a family wedding on November 29. When she failed to attend and Gorelal responded cryptically with "Your mother will never return" upon being questioned, Babloo's suspicions grew. Persistent evasion from Gorelal finally drove him to file a missing persons complaint on December 29, setting off the police investigation that led to the dramatic recovery.

During intense interrogation, Gorelal eventually confessed to the crime: he strangled Reshma after she refused to leave his home and move in with relatives amid escalating quarrels. He kept her body inside the house for two terrifying days while plotting disposal, rejecting the idea of dumping it in a canal fearing it would surface. Instead, he chose a secluded spot in the village for burial. Gorelal has been arrested on murder charges, and authorities say the case highlights a dark tale of obsession turning deadly.

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