The charred bodies of two cousin sisters, in their 20s, were found in their house in Banhpur village of Bulandshahr district, Uttar Pradesh, police said on Friday.
One of the bodies was found lying on the ground floor while the other was hanging by a wire on the first floor of the house by family members after they returned around midnight, an official informed. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem and the police have begun a probe into the double murder.
An official told IANS, at the time of the murders, the family members were in the market for some shopping for the wedding of Rahul, the brother of one of the deceased, scheduled for February 18.
The family members became aware of a stink emanating from the house and got suspicious. As the house was locked from inside they had to break in.
The family has accused a neighbour for the murders as they recovered his mobile phone from the crime scene. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Muni Raj G. said that forensic teams have gathered evidence from the crime scene and prima facie the case appeared to be of a love affair gone awry.
Police said the two women were first strangulated with a clutch wire and then set on fire. Efforts are on to nab the suspect, who is on the run, an official added.
--IANS
md/and/rn