A 30-year-old woman from Bihar has been arrested along with two accomplices for allegedly orchestrating the murder of her husband, just 45 days after their wedding.
The incident bears chilling similarities to the high-profile Meghalaya honeymoon murder case.
The victim, Priyanshu Kumar Singh, was shot dead on 24 June while returning from a visit to a cousin in Chandauli, Uttar Pradesh.
He was attacked roughly one kilometre from Lembokhap village, near the Nabinagar police station in Aurangabad district. Singh was rushed to a hospital but succumbed to his injuries during treatment.
Initially, a murder case was registered against unidentified assailants based on the family's complaint. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was promptly formed under the supervision of the sub-divisional police officer, Aurangabad Superintendent of Police (SP) Ambrish Rahul confirmed.
During the investigation, police uncovered that the deceased's wife, Gunja Singh, had been in a long-standing relationship with her maternal uncle, Jeevan Singh, for over 15 years.
Police stated that Jeevan had earlier interfered with other marriage proposals arranged for Gunja, effectively blocking them. Their relationship reportedly continued even after Gunja's marriage to Priyanshu, creating tension in her new household.
Gunja's attempt to flee her in-laws' home after police began questioning the family raised further suspicion.
Upon interrogation, she allegedly confessed to planning the murder in collaboration with Jeevan Singh. On his instructions, she contacted two middlemen — Jaishankar Choubey and Mukesh Sharma — both residents of Garhwa, Jharkhand, who then arranged for contract killers.
“Gunja was arrested from Nabinagar police station while Jaishankar and Mukesh were held in Garhwa. They confessed to providing a SIM card to the shooters. Jeevan maintained regular contact with the hired killers,” SP Ambrish Rahul said.
Call records confirmed that Gunja remained in constant communication with Jeevan, a transporter based in Daltonganj, Jharkhand.
According to police, their inability to meet post-marriage led them to conspire against Priyanshu. Jeevan, who is currently absconding, allegedly financed the murder and hired the contract killers.
The case mirrors the recent murder of Raja Raghuvanshi, allegedly by his wife Sonam Raghuvanshi during their honeymoon in Meghalaya.
The couple had gone missing on 23 May, and Raja's body was found on 2 June in a gorge near Sohra in East Khasi Hills. Sonam was later arrested from Uttar Pradesh along with her boyfriend, Raj Kushwaha, and three contract killers.
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