Meerut, Jul 3 (IANS): A married woman has been arrested for allegedly dumping her lover's body near a canal in Parikshatgarh area of Uttar Pradesh's Meerut district with help of her brothers and concealing evidence, police said.

The man Sajid had reportedly consumed poison in the presence of the woman, the police added on Sunday.

Superintendent of Police (Rural), Meerut, Keshav Mishra said that the woman belonged to Sajid's village Laliyana in Kithore area and they had a love affair for more than two decades.

The woman got married in Parikshatgarh area where Sajid had a welding shop.

The Meerut SP added that Sajid was also married and his wife had died.

Sajid used to visit the woman's house and had met her on June 25 in the absence of her husband.

He insisted that she marry him but the woman refused, saying she could not leave her children. Sajid tried to convince her and consumed poison after failing to do so, the police officer said.

The scared woman informed her brothers and they decided to dispose of the body without informing police. They took the body to the jungle and dumped it on the side of a canal in Parikshatgarh area on the night of June 25.

Sajid's family found a letter outside their house on June 30 which claimed that Sajid was dead and his body could be recovered from the canal side.

They informed the police and the body was recovered from the place mentioned in the letter.

Mishra said that the last location of Sajid's phone was traced to the locality where a woman lived.

She was taken into custody on the basis of suspicion and during interrogation, she revealed the entire story.

The SP said that the woman felt guilty and thought that the body deserved the last rites. She then decided to inform Sajid's family and asked her brother to drop an anonymous letter outside Sajid's house.