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The body of a 19-year-old woman was allegedly recovered from a pit dug behind her home in Punjab’s Mattewal village. Police suspect her father of killing her and burying her body there, after the victim’s mother raised the alarm over her disappearance. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Amritsar Rural, Kanwalpreet Singh Chahal said on Wednesday that the deceased was identified as Navdeep Kaur, 19, while her father, Hardyal Singh, a resident of Mattewal, has been named as the alleged accused. A case was registered on the complaint of Navdeep’s mother, Sarabjit Kaur. The accused is currently absconding.

The body was recovered from a pit dug behind the family’s house, following which police took possession of the remains and launched an investigation. Teams are also working to trace and arrest Hardyal Singh.

The case reportedly surfaced after Navdeep spoke to her mother over the phone on August 31. During the conversation, she allegedly told her mother that her father was digging a pit behind the house.

Sarabjit, who was staying at her parental home at the time, was unable to contact her daughter after that conversation. Her growing concern turned into suspicion when she later questioned her husband about Navdeep’s whereabouts.

Sources said Hardyal allegedly offered different explanations about where Navdeep was but failed to give a satisfactory answer when Sarabjit insisted on speaking to her daughter.

Sarabjit returned home on Wednesday and noticed freshly disturbed soil at the very spot where Navdeep had told her that a pit was being dug. She immediately alerted the police.

Police subsequently excavated the area with the help of a JCB machine, leading to the recovery of Navdeep’s body.

Sources said tensions had reportedly been simmering within the family over domestic issues. One of the couple’s daughters had allegedly eloped and married around eight months ago, which had reportedly created friction in the household.

The father was also allegedly suspicious of Navdeep’s personal relationships, adding to the family tensions.

“The exact motive is expected to emerge during the investigation and after the arrest and interrogation of the accused,” SSP Chahal said.