Bhopal: A 60-year-old man was brutally murdered and dumped in a village well in Madhya Pradesh’s Anuppur district, in what police say was a premeditated crime driven by an illicit relationship and a deep-rooted family betrayal.
According to the media reports, the victim, Bhaiyalal Rajak, a resident of Sakaria village, was found dead on 31 August. His body was wrapped in sacks and blankets, tied with ropes and sarees, and recovered from a well after being discovered by his second wife, Guddi Bai.
According to police, Bhaiyalal had been married three times. His first wife had left him, and his second wife, Guddi Bai, was childless. In search of an heir, he married Guddi’s younger sister Munni, also known as Vimla, with whom he had two children. However, Munni was allegedly involved in an affair with a local property dealer, Narayan Das Kushwaha, also known as Lallu.
Superintendent of Police Moti Ur Rehman said the affair between Munni and Lallu had escalated to the point that they began planning Bhaiyalal’s murder. Lallu then hired a 25-year-old labourer, Dheeraj Kol, to assist in the crime.
On the night of 30 August, while Bhaiyalal was asleep on a cot at his under-construction home, Lallu and Dheeraj allegedly entered the premises around 2 a.m. and struck him on the head with an iron rod, killing him on the spot. The body was then wrapped and thrown into the village well.
The following morning, Guddi Bai noticed something floating in the water and alerted authorities. Police drained the well and recovered both Bhaiyalal’s body and his mobile phone. A post-mortem confirmed that he had died from severe head injuries.
The case was solved within 36 hours. All three accused, Munni, Lallu, and Dheeraj, have been arrested and remanded in police custody.
At a press conference, SP Moti Ur Rehman said, “The body of the victim, Bhaiyalal Rajak, was found tied with sacks in a well. He had three marriages. The third wife, Munni alias Vimla Rajak, was in an illicit relationship with Narayan Das Kushwaha alias Lallu. Along with labourer Dheeraj Kol, they killed him by hitting him with a rod and threw the body into the well. The mobile phone was also recovered.”
The investigation is ongoing.