A set of photos, including one showing the body of murdered Haryana Congress worker Himani Narwal found in a suitcase, is being shared on social media with the false and communal claim that she was killed by a Muslim man.
BOOM reached out to Haryana Police, who denied the claim, stating that both the accused, Sachin, and the victim belong to the same community.
The body of 22-year-old Narwal was discovered stuffed in a suitcase near the Sampla bus stand on the Rohtak-Delhi highway on March 1, 2025. Narwal was an active Congress party worker in the state and had taken part in Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra earlier.
A set of photos - some of Narwal's with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, and a photo of a body being found in a suitcase are being shared on Facebook with a communal angle insinuating that the accused who killed her is a Muslim man.
The caption when translated to English reads, "Mehendi on hand, black dupatta around neck, white top and red pants. Found in a small suitcase. Pappu's disciple "Himani Narwal", was packed in a suitcase by someone in Rohtak, Haryana. At first glance, it looks like the work of some "Abdul Miya""
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FACT-CHECK
BOOM found that the claim of Himani Narwal being murdered by a Muslim man is false. Haryana Police confirmed to BOOM that there is no communal angle to the murder and stated that the accused, Sachin, is a Hindu.
A keyword search led us to several news reports on Narwal’s murder, which stated that Haryana Police arrested an accused named Sachin in the case.
The Times of India reported on March 3, 2025, quoting Haryana police, stating that Sachin (32) had confessed to the crime and told police that he had strangled 22-year-old Himani with a phone charging cable on February 27 at her residence in Rohtak’s Vijay Nagar area, after which he packed her body in a suitcase and dumped it on the highway near the Sampla bus stand.
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A CCTV video also surfaced later, which was verified by the police, showing the accused walking with the same suitcase through a street near the woman’s house, The Hindustan Times reported on March 4, 2025.
Rohtak Police also posted a newspaper clipping about the arrest of the accused on its X handle, which mentioned the accused’s name - Sachin.
We found that the visuals in the news reports match those in the viral post and are from the crime scene where Himani’s body was discovered by the police.
"No communal angle to the murder": Rothak Police PRO to BOOM
BOOM then reached out to Sunny Laura, Rothak Police PRO, Haryana Police, who denied any communal angle to the murder.
PRO Laura told BOOM, "The claim is false. Both the accused and the woman belong to the Hindu community. There is only one accused in this case, Sachin, who is a resident of Khairpur village in Jhajjar and is a Jat. Initial investigation has revealed that the reason for the murder was related to financial issues."
"Sachin and Himani got in touch through social media. Sachin was already married, he had a love marriage and has two children. He has a mobile repair shop in Kanonda, Haryana. At present, the case is under investigation and the accused is on remand," Laura added.
