Dehradun, A months-long mystery surrounding skeletal remains recovered from Uttar Pradesh's Hathnikund Barrage has finally been solved, with DNA matching confirming that the victim was a 22-year-old Uttarakhand woman, who had gone missing last year and was allegedly murdered by a man who was "harassing" her.
The breakthrough came after forensic experts matched the skeletal remains with Riya Kashyap, a resident of the Jeevangarh area in Dehradun's Vikasnagar, bringing closure to a case that had remained unresolved for months.
According to police, a woman's torso was recovered from the Hathnikund Barrage on October 16, 2025. However, due to the highly decomposed condition of the body, investigators were unable to establish the victim's identity at the time.
Kashyap had been missing since September 2025. Her father, Gopal, lodged a complaint on September 7, alleging that Shahbaz, a resident of Dhakrani village, had kidnapped his daughter. He claimed the accused had been harassing her and was responsible for her disappearance.
A case under Section 140 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered and an investigation launched.
