Rampur: A woman allegedly killed her mother-in-law with the help of her lover after the elderly woman caught the couple in an objectionable position at Nankar-Rani village of Swar tehsil on Thursday evening. The duo has been arrested.

According to police, Shahana Bi allegedly assaulted her mother-in-law Sher Bano, 65, with bricks when she found her with a tantric, identified as Mohammad Ali, in her room. He hails from neighbouring Moradabad district.

Shahana Bi was arrested after her husband Zubair Ahmad lodged a complaint against her.

Station house officer, Swar kotwali, Satish Kumar told TOI that Shahana Bi and Ali were having an illicit affair, When the elderly woman caught them, Shahana Bi and Ali allegedly killed her. Then Shahana Bi told her neighbours that her mother-in-law had fallen down from the terrace. She also attempted to wipe out evidence of the crime.

According to police, after burying Sher Bano on Friday, her son, Zubair Ahmad, who works as a painter in Dehradun, found a shoe belonging to the tantrik in his house. He became suspicious after his wife could not give an explanation. Then, he informed police.

On Saturday , after securing permission of the magistrate, police exhumed Sher Bano’s body and sent it for a post-mortem.

Police have arrested the tantrik and also seized the brick used for committing the murder. Both accused will be produced before the court of the special magistrate on Sunday, said Satish Kumar.

Shahana Bi said, “ I contacted the tantrik to get rid of my mother-in-law. He said he wanted to perform some rituals inside my room. So, I had invited him but we were caught by my mother-in-law. She started shouting at us. The tantrik hit her with a brick and he fled from the spot, I was alone at home and told neighbours that she had fallen down from the terrace.”