Delhi: Trucker kills wife, drives with body around Okhla for a week

A 34-year-old truck driver allegedly murdered his wife, then drove around with her decomposing body in the truck’s driver compartment for nearly a week in south Delhi’s Okhla area without being caught, police said on Monday.
The accused, Pradeep Singh, was arrested on Sunday evening after confessing to his employer during a phone call. The employer, based in Mumbai, then alerted Delhi Police.
Investigators said Pradeep killed his wife – 34-year-old Neetu Singh – on November 18 or 19, suspecting her of infidelity. Unable to find a place to dispose of the body, he covered it with bedsheets and continued living in the truck while driving around Okhla.
Investigators said Pradeep had arrived in Delhi from Mumbai on November 13 to deliver supplies to a vendor in Okhla Industrial Area.
“He finished his delivery and then called his wife from Hansi in Haryana to Delhi. His wife reached Delhi between November 15-16. After this, we don’t know the exact sequence of events but as per Pradeep’s admission, they got into a fight on November 18 or 19. The fight escalated as Pradeep accused Neetu of cheating on him,” said a senior police officer, who asked not to be identified.
The incident came to light after Pradeep’s employer grew concerned when he stopped answering calls or texts. On Saturday, Pradeep finally called his employer and admitted to killing his wife. Initially dismissing it as drunken rambling, the employer sent an associate to check on him. The associate found Pradeep in the truck, noticed a strong odour, and discovered the body.
He immediately informed the employer, who then contacted Delhi Police.
Police said the vehicle has a cold storage but the accused decided to keep his wife’s body in the cabin instead.
A police team was dispatched to Okhla Industrial Area, Phase-II, where Neetu’s body was found decomposing in a pool of blood inside the truck’s cabin. Pradeep was arrested on the spot.
Police said the couple were previously married and had divorced their partners. They met two-three years ago near Pradeep’s hometown in Haryana’s Hansi and soon started living together. While there are no official records of their marriage, police said their children (from previous marriages) said were married at a temple.
The senior officer added that Pradeep and Neetu fought inside the truck for hours before Pradeep snatched Neetu’s dupatta and strangled her to death. He then allegedly hid her body by placing bedsheets on it. For the next five to six days, he stayed with his wife’s decomposing body inside the truck as he had no other accommodation.
Police said he was roaming around freely without raising suspicion.
DCP (southeast) Ravi Kumar Singh, “He was driving an Eicher cold storage vehicle. After some time, the employer started calling him from Mumbai but he could not be reached. However, on Saturday, he called his employer and told him that he had killed his wife. Initially, the employer thought Pradeep was bluffing since he sounded drunk. But he sent an associate to check on Pradeep.”
Officers said they have no evidence on the time of the death and are presently going as per Pradeep’s statement, adding that they are investigating to corroborate the version of events the accused has told them.
While anti-pollution regulations are imposed on heavy commercial vehicles in Delhi since November 15, police said the commercial vehicle could not be spotted as Pradeep was allegedly driving around Okhla. Police said the accused was not driving around arterial roads and was “careful”.
Police added that he “hardly” left his vehicle and was eating meals at roadside shops so he could keep a watch on his vehicle.
“Pradeep was caught outside the truck. A crime team and a forensics team were called at the spot and the crime scene was inspected thoroughly,” added the DCP.
Pradeep was arrested and based on his statement, a case of murder was lodged against him.
The investigator cited above said: “The police took custody of the body and sent it for a post-mortem examination to determine the exact cause and time of the woman’s death. We are awaiting the report… The accused was staying in the same truck despite the stench from the body.”