Chandigarh: Police have arrested the husband of a 32-year-old woman who was bludgeoned to death inside a park in Sector 10, one of the city’s most upscale areas, sometime after midnight on Thursday. Her body was found on Friday morning, with her head and face smashed beyond recognition.The deceased has been identified as Shikha, a resident of Sector 15, Chandigarh. Her husband, Robin, who lives in Janta Colony, Nayagaon, Mohali, had allegedly murdered her after securing bail from jail and escaped the spot, with his mobile phone switched off since last night. Different police teams had been raiding his possible hideouts before his arrest.According to the police, the accused husband was angry over Shikha refusing to live with him and also suspected her of having an illicit relationship.The crime scene is located barely 100 metres from the Chandigarh police headquarters. The office of the Punjab governor and UT administrator is also located in the area.A scrap picker spotted the body around 9:50am on Friday and alerted the police. Upon receiving information, SP City Vijay Kumar, the SHO of Sector 3 police station, and a CFSL team reached the spot and examined the crime scene.Before she was identified, a tattoo on her hand bearing the words “Shikha UP” and a scooter key found in her trouser pocket had emerged as crucial evidence, while her mobile phone was missing from the crime scene. Investigators also collected dump data from the crime scene and examined CCTV footage from cameras installed in the surrounding area.The woman’s head was badly crushed, with multiple injuries inflicted with a stone. During the investigation, it emerged that Robin had entered the park through a broken fence on the side instead of using the main entrance. He had hidden the stone used in the murder under a larger rock some distance away from the crime scene, which police later recovered. The condition of the crime scene and the position of the body also indicated that Shikha had put up a struggle before being killed.Police said Shikha was having a matrimonial dispute with Robin. According to an earlier complaint, Shikha married Nayagaon resident Robin in 2020. The couple has a five-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son. She had alleged that Robin had been harassing and assaulting her since their marriage. Around five months ago, Shikha left her husband’s home and moved in with her mother in Sector 15, while the children stayed with Robin in Nayagaon.Robin was previously arrested by the Sector 11 police for allegedly assaulting his mother-in-law with a chopper and injuring her critically on Sept 10, 2026. Angered over Shikha staying in Sector 15 with her mother and refusing to return with him, Robin, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, scaled the rear wall of the house on Sept 10 night carrying a chopper used for cutting coconuts.He allegedly asked Shikha to return with him and, after she refused, attacked her mother several times with the chopper. When the woman collapsed, Robin allegedly fled after threatening to kill her. Shikha alerted a PCR team and rushed her injured mother to GMSH-16.Police had arrested Robin in that case and sent him to Burail jail. He was recently released on bail before allegedly murdering Shikha on Thursday night.
