In a horrific case of suspected honor killing, a young couple was allegedly tortured and beaten to death by the 20-year-old woman's family members because they did not approve of their relationship.

The two were tortured for hours before the woman's family beat her to death in public view. They then broke her 23-year-old boyfriend's arms and legs before beheading him and dumping his body outside his family's house.

The woman, Nidhi Barak, was a fine arts student and her boyfriend, Dharmender Barak, was pursuing a diploma in information technology. The two had eloped to Delhi from their village in the north Indian state of Haryana. They were planning to get married against their families wishes.

According to diktats of the community councils in Haryana, marriages within the same village and community are not allowed. Both Nidhi and Dharmender belonged to the Jat community.

Nidhi's family convinced them to return to the village with assurances that neither would be harmed. When the couple returned, Nidhi's family, including her parents, brother, and uncle murdered them for violating the family's honor. The police, alerted by a villager, arrived just as Nidhi's family had partially cremated her body on a burning pyre.