Four members of a family, including a former sarpanch, were murdered by his first wife, her teenage son and daughter, after which their bodies were set on fire inside an SUV in Rajasthan’s Ajmer district, police said on Thursday.
The incident took place in Shree Rampura village under Burada police station area in the early hours of Thursday.
Charred bodies inside a four-wheel drive vehicle
Police said they received information at around 5:30 a.m. that a Scorpio car had caught fire and a number of people were trapped inside. Upon arriving at the scene, officials found three charred bodies inside the SUV, while another woman was discovered in a semi-burnt condition in a nearby field. She later died during treatment.
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The deceased have been identified as former sarpanch Ram Singh Chaudhary (45), his mother, former sarpanch Bose Devi (85), his second wife Surjyan Devi (40), and his niece Mahima.
The bodies were allegedly removed before the car was set on fire
The police claimed that the accused cut the throats of the four victims inside the house using a sharp agricultural weapon.
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“Ram Singh’s first wife, 40-year-old Sunita, has been arrested, while her 16-year-old son and 19-year-old daughter have been detained for their alleged role in the killings,” Ajmer Superintendent of Police Harshvardhan Agrawala said.
Police claimed diesel was drawn from a tractor before a Scorpio four-wheel drive vehicle was driven about 500 meters from the house and set on fire in an attempt to make the deaths look like a road accident.
The investigation points to a long-standing family feud
Police said Ram Singh married Sunita in 2004 and later married Surjyan Devi in 2019. Investigators believe tensions within the family increased after the second marriage.
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“Preliminary investigation revealed that Ram Singh allegedly subjected his first wife and children to physical and mental harassment for years. He assaulted them again on Wednesday night, after which the accused allegedly planned the murders,” the SP added.
Investigators said suspicions increased after the defendants made contradictory statements and their behavior appeared unusual after the incident. According to the police, Sunita was allegedly pretending to cry, while her son was seen calmly drinking tea and none of them initially approached the crime scene.
