A 27-year-old woman, Ana Sharif, was initially thought to have died in a road accident in Saharanpur’s Bihari Garh area, but an autopsy confirmed strangulation, leading to a murder case against her husband and in-laws.

The incident came to light on Tuesday when a damaged car was found near Lal Pul, with Ana dead inside and her husband, Sameer Khan (28), unconscious. Passersby rushed Sameer to a Dehradun hospital.

Upon suspicion of foul play, police ordered a post-mortem, which revealed strangulation as the cause of death. Following this, an FIR was registered against Sameer, his father Jamal Nassir (50), mother Aqsa (48), and brother Mohd Sham (25) under BNS sections 85 (cruelty by husband or relatives), 85-2 (dowry death), and the Dowry Prohibition Act.

Ana’s father, Chand Usmani, alleged that Ana faced harassment over dowry despite already giving one. He claimed her in-laws demanded a car and staged her murder as an accident under the pretext of taking her for a medical check-up.

SP (Rural) Sagar Jain confirmed that Sameer is stable and will be questioned upon discharge. Investigations are ongoing.