The bodies of a young couple in a relationship were found hanging from a tree on the outskirts of Bihura village in Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki district, police on Thursday said.
The couple belonged to different communities and had been in a relationship for the past four years, they said.
The dead youth -- identified as Suraj (21) -- was a resident of Paharpur village, while the girl -- Nisha Bano (18) -- belonged to neighbouring Bihura village, police said.
The two had been in a relationship for four years but societal and religious constraints prevented their marriage, they said.
The couple had eloped a few days ago but returned under pressure from their families. Subsequently, Suraj's family arranged his marriage three months ago, police said.
"Both lived within half a kilometre of each other. Suraj used to work in farming with his father, while Nisha was pursuing her graduation," said Station House Officer (SHO) DK Singh.
"They often met in the same mango orchard where their bodies were found. The site of the incident is around 200 meters from Nisha's house and 300 meters from Suraj's home," he added.
Suraj's wife reported around 2 am on Thursday that he was missing from home, said the SHO, adding he could not be found despite extensive search by the family.
Early Thursday morning, some villagers heading to the fields found the bodies of the couple hanging from a mango tree using a 'dupatta' and a 'gamchha' (cotton towel) tied together to make a noose, said the SHO.
The police arrived promptly at the scene on being informed, he added.
The SHO further said the "bodies have been sent for postmortem and a thorough investigation is underway".
Circle Officer Jagat Ram Kanojia said, "Prima facie, it appears to be a case of suicide, but we are not ruling out possibilities of pressure, threats or even murder." "All angles are being examined. Since the matter involves individuals from two different communities, there is some tension in the village," he added.
A large police contingent has been deployed in the area to maintain law and order.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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