Rajasthan murder case: Woman kills husband with lover’s help

In a case that brought memories of the Meghalaya's honeymoon murder, a newlywed woman allegedly orchestrated the murder of her husband along with her boyfriend and other accomplices in the Sri Ganganagar district of Rajasthan.

The murder, which took place on January 30, was planned in such a way that initially made the police think that it was a hit-and-run and robbery.

But further investigation revealed that it was actually a well-planned murder executed by the woman Anju to finish off her husband Ashish with the help of her boyfriend Sanju and two other accomplices, and was passed off as an accident.

How the murder unfolded

On the night of January 30, around 9, local police were informed that a couple was lying unconscious on the road, said Amrita Duhan, Superintendent of Police, Sri Ganganagar, reported NDTV.

Also Read: Meghalaya honeymoon murder: Raja was killed in Sonam's presence, says chargesheet

She further revealed that the couple was rushed to the Community Health Centre (CHC) Ashish was declared brought dead by the doctors.

"We were informed that a man had been hit by an unidentified vehicle, leading to his death. We surveyed the accident site and also called the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team to investigate from the technical point of view," the SP said.

Anju told police they were hit by a car

Anju told the police that she and her husband were out on a walk when they were hit by an unidentified vehicle. She claimed that she was robbed of her gold jewellery.

Also Read: Honeymoon murder case: Meghalaya cops seize key evidence during Indore raid

However, repeated changes in her statement and in the sequence of events narrated by her made the investigators suspicious. Their suspicion grew when, after noticing that Ashish’s body had several injury marks, Anju came out of the incident unscathed.

Police said that Anju’s call records showed that she remained in regular contact with Sanju, who lived near her house.

Marital dispute

According to media reports, Anju and Ashish got married three months ago. But Anju was unhappy with the marriage and returned to her hometown soon after, where she reconciled with boyfriend Sanju, and the duo planned to murder Ashish.

"Anju had started accompanying Ashish on his post-dinner walks," said Duhan as quoted by NDTV.

Also Read: Meghalaya murder: Raghuvanshi’s family wants police to uncover 'complete truth'

The report further stated that on the night of January 30, Anju led Ashish to an isolated road where Sanju, along with two other accomplices- Rohit, and Badal, alias Siddharth- were hiding in a bush. "They attacked him brutally and also strangled him and then tried to pass it off as a road accident," Dhuan said.

The incident brought back memories of the Meghalaya honeymoon murder case where Raja Raghuvanshi and his newlywed wife Sonam left for Meghalaya on a honeymoon shortly after their marriage in May last year.

Similarity with Meghalaya honeymoon murder

What was meant to be a celebratory trip ended in tragedy when, 12 days later, Raja was found dead in a remote area of the state.

Investigators later found that the murder had been planned. Sonam, allegedly in a relationship with Raj Kushwaha, a former employee at her family’s business, is accused of conspiring with him to kill Raja during the honeymoon and pass it off as an accident.

According to the probe, Raja was attacked near Wei Sawdong Falls by three hired men wielding machetes, while Sonam was present at the spot. His body was then thrown into a gorge and his mobile phone was switched off to avoid detection.

The case took a turn days later when Sonam surfaced at a roadside dhaba in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur, following which she was taken into custody. Raj Kushwaha and three other men hired to carry out the attack were also arrested in connection with the murder.