UP: Skeleton suspected to be of missing woman found in Lucknow

Lucknow, Jan 7 (PTI) A skeleton, suspected to be that of a woman reported missing last month, was recovered from a mustard field on the outskirts of Lucknow on Wednesday. Police have sent the remains for a DNA test to confirm the identity.

The skeleton remains were found near Kubehra village.

According to a police statement, a villager named Chandraprakash alerted the police around 10.00 am after spotting the remains in a field located in the Gomti river area.

Police teams reached the spot and conducted a preliminary investigation. While the mutilated condition of the skeleton made immediate identification difficult, a saree found nearby led officials to believe that the remains are those of a woman.

The saree was later identified as belonging to Poonam (30), wife of Pitambar, a resident of the same village. The field is located approximately 300 metres from the family's residence, the police said.

The police said Pitambar had lodged a missing person's complaint at the Nagram police station on December 13, 2025, stating that his wife had gone missing.

Initial investigations revealed that Poonam, a mother of two, was in contact with a man from the same neighbourhood. About two months before she disappeared, her husband had allegedly confiscated her mobile phone over this issue, after which she left the house, the police said.

Investigators have examined call detail records and questioned villagers and other suspects. The woman's family has accused her husband of murder, they said.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Lucknow South) Rallapalli Vasanth Kumar said the remains have been sent for forensic analysis.

"Once the DNA test report is received, we will proceed accordingly. In the meantime, we are investigating the matter thoroughly from all angles," Kumar said. PTI KIS AKY