Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 23: Pakistani Rangers tonight handed over dead bodies of a young woman and her four years old child, hailing from village Kalsian in Nowshera tehsil of Rajouri district, who had been washed away in river Chenab and their dead bodies were recovered from near Head Marala dam in Sialkot district of Pakistan’s Lahore province.
The Rangers handed over the bodies to the Border Security Force (BSF) at Octroi Post on the International Border (IB) at 8.30 pm tonight, official sources said.
The victims Anita Choudhary wife of Sunil Choudhary, a resident of village Kalsian, Nowshera, had committed suicide along with her four years old son Arnav by jumping into river Chenab under the jurisdiction of Gharota police station on April 28.
Police parties had pressed divers into service but all in vain.
“A contact was recently established with Pakistan through appropriate channels to look for the bodies of the mother-son,” sources said, adding Pakistan conveyed that they had recovered body of four years old child outside the dam at Head Marala in Sialkot about five days back and buried it.
The Rangers then found body of the woman inside Head Marala dam over river Chenab in Sialkot district of Pakistan’s Lahore province and recovered it after stopping water. The buries body of Arnav was also exhumed.
Sources said the Rangers established contact with the BSF and furnished photographs to confirm identity of the bodies, which Akhnoor police did this morning.
At about 8.30 pm, BSF and Rangers held a flag meeting at Octroi Post in Suchetgarh sector of RS Pura tehsil in which the Rangers handed over bodies to the BSF. The BSF, in turn, gave the bodies to Gharota police.
Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Akhnoor Naresh Singh, who coordinated recovery of the bodies, said the bodies were tonight shifted to mortuary of the Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu where post-mortem on them would be conducted tomorrow morning after which the bodies will be handed over to the family members.
Gharota police have already arrested Sunil Choudhary, a resident of Kalsian, Nowshera and husband of Anita Choudhary on the charges of abetment to suicide by his wife.
It may be mentioned here that Anita Choudhary along with her three years old son Arnav had jumped into river Chenab on April 28 under the jurisdiction of Gharota police station and ended their lives. Their bodies had remained untraced and it was presumed that they had been washed away to Pakistan.
Sources said police will decide tomorrow as to whom they would hand over the dead bodies of the victims as woman’s husband had been charged with abetment to suicide and was in judicial lock-up.
“The matter will be decided tomorrow morning after consulting paternal family members of Anita Choudhary,” sources said.
Gharota police had already registered a case in connection with the deaths of woman and her son. However, their bodies now have been recovered after about 25 days.
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