A 21-year-old woman from Muzaffarnagar, UP, was gang-raped and murdered by her brother-in-law, who then set her body on fire to destroy the evidence.

Muzaffarnagar SP Aditya Bansal stated, "The woman was last seen on a scooter with her brother-in-law on January 1. A complaint was lodged at Budhana police station. The woman had an illicit relationship with the main accused. Two of Setar’s accomplices conspired with him to kill her. For that, he took a loan of Rs 40,000 from the bank. He paid Rs 10,000 in advance to the hired killers and promised to pay Rs 20,000 after the job was completed."

As per their plan, they took the woman to a secluded place, where she was gang-raped and then suffocated to death. To conceal her identity, the accused attempted to burn the body using petrol.

One of the culprits has been arrested by the police and confessed to his crime during interrogation. However, the remaining two accused are still absconding.

"Forensic teams recovered charred clothing, rings, and other items from the crime scene. One used and one unused condom were also found," Bansal said.

Bansal further stated, "We will collect all the scientific evidence and ensure that the guilty receive the appropriate punishment."