A 26-year-old soldier from Prayagraj has been arrested for murdering his minor girlfriend after she insisted that he marry her. Police said the accused, identified as Harshvardhan Singh alias Deepak, strangled and stabbed the girl before burying her body in an orchard in Lakhranwa village.<br /><br />The victim, an intermediate student, had known the accused since June 2025 through Instagram. Harshvardhan, a Naik posted in Patiala, is a resident of Kusumgur village in Tharwai. His marriage was scheduled for 30 November, which the girl opposed. She reportedly threatened to approach the police, angering the soldier, who decided to “remove her from his way”.<br /><br />According to police, on 10 November, Harshvardhan called the girl to meet him. He picked her up near Balan intersection and spent the day with her near Company Garden. By evening, he took her to an orchard, where he first strangled her with her scarf. After she fell unconscious, he stabbed her with a knife he had bought a day earlier, and then buried her body.<br /><br />A breakthrough came the next day when the girl’s bag was recovered. A book inside contained the soldier’s name and mobile number, helping investigators link him to the crime. A vermilion box was also found in the bag.<br /><br />Police arrested Harshvardhan from his home. He admitted that he had planned the murder on 9 November, buying the knife beforehand. After the crime, he repeatedly deleted chats and browser history from the girl’s Instagram and email accounts to destroy evidence.<br /><br />On 15 November, the forensic team and dog squad inspected the orchard where the body was found—located just 1.5 km from the soldier’s house, a place he knew well.<br /><br />Harshvardhan joined the Army in 2018. His name had earlier surfaced in a theft incident at a wedding, though no case was registered at the time.<br /><br />DCP Ganganagar Kuldeep Singh Gunawat said the accused tried to delete digital evidence after the murder. DCP City Manish Kumar Shandilya confirmed that the book in the girl’s bag played a crucial role in cracking the case.<br /><br />#PrayagrajMurder #ArmySoldierCrime #MinorGirlMurder #InstagramCrime #UPNews #CrimeReport #JusticeForVictim #LawAndOrder #IndiaNews #ShockingCase
