To mask wife’s murder, man kills dog, buries it in same location

Acting on the tip-off, police found and exhumed the woman’s body on Thursday using a JCB machine and sent it for post-mortem. (File Photo)

A man from Jharkhand’s Palamu allegedly killed his wife with the help of his girlfriend and buried her body near the girlfriend’s village, police said, adding that to mask the crime, he also killed a dog at the spot.

The incident occurred under the Bishrampur police station limits. Priyanka Devi alias Pooja (25), a resident of Tisibar Darua village under Pandu police station area, was married to the accused, Ranjit Mehta of Kaudiya Bhukhla village. She went missing on December 26, but the case came to light a week later after villagers grew suspicious and alerted the police.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Rishikesh Dubey, the Bisrampur police in-charge, said the crime went undetected for several days, with the suspect killing and dumping a dog at the site so it could be mistaken for the source of the foul smell. “Investigation suggests she was murdered and buried the same day. Nobody had any suspicion initially,” Dubey said.

After she went missing, the victim’s family repeatedly tried to reach her, but her phone remained unreachable. When she did not return, the family lodged a police complaint, leading the police to suspect the husband’s role.

The suspect, according to police, dug up the burial site four days later, pretending to dispose of a dead dog. “The pit was dug and the bodies of the dog and victim were thrown in, and the pit was covered,” Dubey said.

As rumours of a murder began to spread, police conducted a search at the spot. The body was exhumed from a five-feet-deep pit in the presence of a magistrate.

Police said the couple had been married for around seven years. Following the recovery, the victim’s family lodged a named FIR against the husband, his girlfriend, his father and other alleged associates.

A case was registered on Thursday under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including those related to murder, criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence. However, the accused husband and his girlfriend are currently absconding, and raids are being conducted to arrest them, police said.