Five members of a family, including three young children aged eight, four, and one, were found murdered in their home, with their bodies stuffed in sacks and hidden in a bed box, police said on Friday. The brutal killings have sent shockwaves through the Uttar Pradesh town of Meerut.

Two individuals have been detained in connection with the shocking murders, and several other suspects have also been taken into custody as investigations unfolded following the discovery of the bodies on the night of January 9. The parents were discovered wrapped in bedsheets, and all five victims suffered from severe head injuries and slash marks on their necks.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vipin Tada stated that, based on a complaint lodged by the relatives of the deceased woman, a case has been filed against three named suspects and other unidentified individuals. He confirmed that two named suspects and several others are currently being questioned.

The bodies of the husband and wife were located wrapped in bedsheets, while the bodies of their three children were discovered stuffed into the storage compartment of a bed in the family’s home, located in the densely populated Suhail Garden area, under the jurisdiction of the Lisari Gate police station.

SSP Tada mentioned that one named suspect is currently on the run, and police teams have been assigned to locate and apprehend him. He assured that all evidence is being collected and expressed confidence that the case will be resolved soon.

The victims have been identified as Moin, also known as Moinuddin (52), his wife Asma (45), and their daughters Afsah (8), Aziza (4), and Adeeba (1). According to police reports, Asma’s brother, Shamim, filed a formal complaint late at night, alleging the involvement of Asma’s younger sister-in-law, Nazrana, and her two brothers in the suspected murders.

SSP Tada, who visited the crime scene on Thursday night, indicated that the family’s house was secured from the outside when concerned neighbors and locals checked on the family. The bodies were discovered after they gained access through the roof.

“The locked state of the house suggests that the perpetrator may have been familiar with the family,” Tada noted, adding that initial investigations point to an old grudge as a potential motive behind the horrific incident.

The SSP further revealed that one of the deceased’s legs was found tied with a bedsheet, and a forensic team, along with senior officers, is compiling evidence. The family, who had recently relocated to the area, is also being investigated for their background for further details.

Moin, a mechanic, and Asma had been unaccounted for since Wednesday. According to police, Moin’s brother Salim was the first to discover the gruesome scene when he went to check on the family after becoming worried about his brother’s absence. Salim had initially arrived at Moin’s house with his wife and, after multiple attempts to gain entry failed, was ultimately forced to break in with the help of neighbors.

A 16-year-old Dalit girl who was allegedly raped by a man in Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh has died during treatment at a hospital, police said on Friday.

Additional Superintendent of Police (West) Sanjay Rai said the teenager was held hostage and raped on Sunday last week.

“The accused tied her hands and mouth and left her in a millet field in a seriously injured state. She was admitted to the SRN Hospital in Prayagraj where she was undergoing treatment and passed away last evening,” Rai said.

On the complaint of the victim’s mother, the police had registered a case against accused Anil Gupta under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the SC-ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, he said.

The 22-year-old accused was arrested on Monday after a gunfight with the police, they said. Murder charges have also been added to the case, police added. The body was returned to family after conducting the post-mortem, PTI reported.

In another incident from Uttar Pradesh’s Kaushambi in November last year, a 19-year-old woman was hacked to death in broad daylight by two brothers, including the man accused of raping her.

According to reports, the woman butchered with an axe on the main road as scared villagers watched helplessly. Pawan Nishad was accused of raping her three years ago, when she was a minor. Reports said that Pawan and his associates had been harassing the woman, since then, to get her to drop the case lodged against him.

Pawan’s brother, Ashok Nishad, was an accused in a separate murder case and was released less than two days before the young woman’s murder. The officials explained that Pawan was out of jail by this time and the two plotted to confront the woman’s family and force them to close the case.

An FIR has been filed against five members of a family on charges of sexual harassment and causing hurt to a Nepali woman and forcing her into marriage at Puranpur police station of Pilibhit district in Uttar Pradesh.

According to reports, the 26-year-old woman was brought to India from Nepal 13 years ago under false pretenses of finding employment and was subsequently forced into marriage and converted to the accused’s religion.

The woman recently shared her ordeal at a local meeting organised against religious conversion by Hindu organisations.

The 26-year-old described how the accused befriended her while concealing his identity and lured her to India with promises of employment. Once in India, she was subjected to repeated sexual assault and threats.

The case was registered based on a complaint filed by the victim late on Monday evening, as per the report.

According to PTI, the accused, including three brothers, their mother and a maternal uncle, have been charged under various sections of the Bhartiya Naya Sanhita (BNS), including 352 (intentionally insults), 351(3) (criminal intimidation), 115(2) punishment for voluntarily causing hurt and 76 (use criminal force against a woman with the intent of disrobing her modesty).

The Crime Inspector at Puranpur Police Station Gajendra Singh said the victim has alleged that she was forced to marry, and was physically and mentally harassed by her in-laws.

The police are currently investigating the matter to gather further evidence and ensure justice for the victim.

Last month in a separate incident, sixteen people were arrested after a video of a woman being harassed on a flooded road in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow went viral on the internet. Following the incident, the government transferred three senior police officers and suspended five police personnel, including a Station House Officer.

The incident took place in Gomtinagar where heavy rainfall has resulted in waterlogging in some areas, leading to a disturbing incident.