MP shocker: Woman, her lover kill husband under guise of robbery; grisly crime echoes murder of Raja Raghuvanshi

A woman, along with her alleged lover, is suspected to have orchestrated the murder of her husband Devkrishna, under the guise of a late-night robbery at their home in Madhya Pradesh, according to Times of India.

The incident took place in Gondikheda Charan village of Dhar district on Tuesday.

The woman, identified as 27-year-old Priyanka Purohit, was arrested along with her alleged lover 33-year-old Kamlesh after the initial story of a violent robbery quickly fell apart during the investigation, police said.

Probe findings revealed that the murder had been pre-planned. Kamlesh had allegedly paid around ₹1 lakh to a man named Surendra to carry out the killing, while the duo staged the crime to appear like a break-in. Surendra is currently on the run.

Priyanka had initially claimed that three to four intruders entered the house at night, confined them in separate rooms, killed her husband, and escaped with jewellery worth ₹3 lakh and ₹50,000 in cash. However, investigators later recovered the supposedly stolen ornaments from inside the house itself, raising suspicion.

According to ASP Parul Belapurkar, discrepancies in Priyanka’s statements, her conduct, and the absence of mobile phone evidence indicated foul play, the TOI report noted.

The nature of the assault, particularly a severe, targeted head injury, indicated a deliberate act rather than a failed robbery. Forensic findings and other circumstantial evidence at the scene further cast doubt on the sequence of events described by Priyanka Purohit.

After several hours of sustained questioning, her account began to unravel, and she eventually confessed to conspiring with Kamlesh to murder her husband, motivated by their relationship and a desire to remove him.

Police said Priyanka had been married to Devkrishna since she was around 15 years old. She had recently returned from her parental home just days before the incident, a period during which investigators believe the final plan was put into action.

A case has been registered under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Previous related incidents

Last year, a tragic incident involved the premeditated killing of a 29-year-old Indore businessman by his wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, during their honeymoon in Meghalaya. Sonam allegedly hired contract killers to murder Raja on May 23, just twelve days after their wedding.

Raja and Sonam Raghuvanshi married on May 11, and left for their honeymoon in Meghalaya on May 20. The couple was reported missing on May 26. On June 2, Raja’s body was found in a deep gorge near Wei Sawdong Falls in Sohra, with head injuries from a sharp weapon.

Meanwhile, in Uttar Pradesh, a 27-year-old woman was arrested along with her alleged lover and another accomplice for the murder of her husband in Hasanpur, Amroha, police said on March 30 this year. The victim, Mehraj (35), was a mason and a resident of Piplaoti Kala village in Hasanpur.

According to investigators, the accused, Ruhi, allegedly feigned sleep beside her husband while he was hacked to death by her lover and a 21-year-old associate.

Amit Kumar Anand said the incident was reported on March 29.

"During the investigation, it came to light when the father of the deceased went to his house in the morning, he found his son lying dead on a cot. He had sustained injury marks on his neck, hand and leg. On an adjoining cot, Meraj's wife Ruhi lay asleep," PTI quoted the officer as saying.

Amit Kumar Anand said the wife’s role initially appeared suspicious.

During questioning, Ruhi allegedly disclosed that she had been in a relationship with her brother-in-law, Farman, for at least five years, and that the victim, Mehraj, was aware of and opposed to the affair.

Police said that on Sunday night, the accused allegedly mixed sedatives into Mehraj’s food. Later, around 10 pm, Farman, accompanied by his associate Adnan, reportedly attacked him with a knife while he was asleep, leaving him unable to resist.

The officer added that Ruhi had feigned sleep on a nearby cot to make it appear as though her husband had been attacked by unknown assailants.