The 18-day mystery surrounding the disappearance of Amjad, a youth from Sheikhpura Kadim village under the Dehat Kotwali police station area in Saharanpur, has finally been solved. On Thursday morning, his mutilated body was recovered from the Dhamola River—cut into three pieces. Police, who had been searching for over 20 kilometers along the river, discovered the body floating in the water and immediately retrieved it with the help of forensic experts.

Local farmers first alerted authorities when they saw a swollen body drifting in the river. The legs were missing, making identification difficult. Later, police located the severed limbs packed inside a sack about half a kilometer downstream. According to CO Second ASP Manoj Yadav, the remains have been sent for a post-mortem and a detailed investigation is underway.

Amjad had been missing since November 3. His family accused their neighbours—Farman, his wife Rukhsar, and his relatives Shamim and Sameer—of murder. Police arrested all five suspects after the case unfolded. During interrogation, Farman first claimed that he killed Amjad because both he and another man had an illicit relationship with his wife. However, Amjad’s family has dismissed this version as fabricated.

According to Amjad’s mother, Rubina, the real motive was a money dispute. Farman worked as a contractor while Amjad was employed as a labourer. Farman allegedly kept delaying payment, and nearly 1.5 lakh rupees were pending. The family insists Amjad was too young for any alleged affair, making the claim baseless.

During questioning, the accused revealed the gruesome sequence of events: Amjad was first given a sedative and then strangled with a rope. When they tried to stuff the body into a sack, it wouldn’t fit. They then chopped off his legs with an axe, placed the pieces in separate sacks, and dumped the remains from a bridge over the Dhamola River, just two kilometers from the village.

The body floated for days and travelled nearly five kilometers before resurfacing. Police had earlier conducted a massive search operation with PAC and SDRF teams but found nothing until today. Forensic experts later inspected the scene and secured the remains for examination.

The full sequence of the crime emerged after Farman and Rukhsar were arrested. On November 3, Amjad had gone to Farman’s house to demand his pending wages while some of Farman’s relatives were present. An argument broke out, and Farman allegedly felt humiliated. According to police, this sparked his decision to kill Amjad.

Amjad’s mother revealed a chilling detail: On the day of the murder, she had stopped at Farman’s house while returning home with medicine. Rukhsar served her tea. During her stay, she heard screams resembling her son’s coming from inside the house. Each time she tried to get up, Rukhsar blocked her, saying a meeting was underway inside. When the noises stopped, Rubina assumed her son had left and returned home. Hours later, when Amjad did not turn up, the family launched a frantic search and eventually informed the police.

With the recovery of the body, the murder mystery has now been solved, and further legal action will follow based on forensic findings and witness statements.