LUCKNOW: Meera Yadav, wife of Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council chairman Ramesh Yadav, was arrested for killing their younger son Abhijeet, who was found dead in her husband's official residence in Lucknow's Dar-ul-Shafa on Sunday morning.
Meera was produced before the chief judicial magistrate, who sent her to 14-day judicial remand on Monday.
Late, on Sunday night, police had lodged an FIR against Meera, an ex-employee of tourism department, booking her under Sections 302 (murder) and 201 (destruction of evidence) of IPC for Abhijeet's murder after post-mortem confirmed 'strangulation' as the cause of death.
After her detention on Sunday midnight, Meera was arrested after she reportedly confessed to the crime during questioning on early Monday morning.
Notably, the family had attributed the death to certain cardiac conditions. Meera had tried to rush through Abhijeet's cremation even in the absence of her husband who was away at his ancestral home in Etah.
The police had stopped the funeral procession and took the body forcibly for post mortem examination. The suspicion of the police was corroborated when an autopsy revealed that Abhijeet was strangulated and hit on the head.
Meera, Ramesh Yadav's second wife, used to live in flat number 137, New B-Block, allotted to Ramesh Yadav with her sons Abhijeet and Abhishek. Ramesh’s first wife Prema and their eldest son Ashish live in Etah. Ashish had been an SP MLA from Etah Sadar constituency.
During interrogation, Meera admitted that she had strangled Abhijeet, 22, after he returned home drunk on Saturday night. She also claimed that he assaulted her following an altercation between the two. She pushed him to the ground and his head banged against the wall after which she strangled him with her stole. Earlier, Meera had claimed that she went into Abhijeet's room at around 7.30am and found him dead.
"The family did not inform us about the death. We were informed by a mediaperson at 11am on Sunday. As we reached the spot, we could spot minor injury mark on Abhijeet's neck and head. We collected CCTV footage and other evidence," SP East Sarvesh Kumar Mishra said.
Abhishek, the elder son, told the police that he was informed about the incident by his mother and reached the flat around 10am. "Abhijeet was lying dead in the room," he told police. Abhishek is also in police custody while the probe into is on.
Meanwhile, Ramesh Yadav, accompanied by other son Abhishek, reached Baikunth Dham at around 7pm on Sunday evening for the last rites of Abhijeet. He chose to keep mum over the mysterious death and failed to give possible reason for the incident.
Meera had tried her best to mislead the police all through the day till she confessed to the crime during sustained questioning. She had said Abhijeet suffered a neck injury and he asked her to apply a pain relieving cream late at night. After doing the same, she claimed she went to sleep and woke at 7 am. She told the police that she found him unconscious, cold in his room.
"Abhijeet was short-tempered and used to hit himself often with bricks and had also slit his wrist once. He used to say that his father did not love him and had given all his property to his eldest son Ashish (from his first wife Prema)," she added.