Gurugram Police have arrested a former Army man and two other men in connection with the murder of a 35-year-old woman in Dohla village near Sohna, officials said on Tuesday. The victim, Neetu, was found dead at her home on October 16, with her hands bound and tape covering her mouth and face. Her husband Prashant, a private school teacher, found her after returning home with their children at around 2 p.m.; the house had been ransacked, and she was declared dead at a hospital in Sohna.

According to police, the main accused, Sandeep, is the victim's husband's cousin and a former soldier who was dismissed from service after a court-martial in 2023. He was taken into custody on Monday and remanded to four days of police custody. His alleged accomplices, Anuj, 29, and Avnish, 30, were arrested on Tuesday.

Police allege the motive was a land dispute: Sandeep had allegedly paid an advance of Rs 1 lakh (yaani one lakh rupees) to buy land from Prashant, but the deal stalled after Neetu reportedly persuaded her husband that the price was too low and the deposit should be returned.

ACP (Crime) Naveen Sharma said the accused allegedly surveyed the house on August 31 and, on October 16, waited until Prashant had left to drop the children at school before entering at around 10:05 a.m. Police allege Sandeep and Anuj restrained and strangled the victim while Avnish kept watch outside. The Sadar Sohna police are continuing the investigation. All allegations are yet to be proved in court.

Sources: Mirror Now and The Times of India, reporting Gurugram Police statements.