Pregnant woman strangled to death, buried in Jaipur lawn; live-in partner arrested
An eight-month-pregnant woman was allegedly strangled to death by her live-in partner, who then buried her body in the lawn of their rented house in Jaipur and fled the city, police said.
The accused, identified as 22-year-old Pravesh Rawat, was arrested near the Uttar Pradesh border after police traced his movements. According to police, Rawat had allegedly become suspicious of his partner Kiran, 32, over her use of his mobile phone.
The incident came to light four days after the alleged murder, when police recovered Kiran's body from a pit dug in the lawn of the house in Jaipur's Bindayaka area.COUPLE HAD BEEN LIVING TOGETHER
According to police, Rawat and Kiran had been in a relationship and had been living together in Jaipur for the past few months. Police said Rawat was related to Kiran as her nephew, but the two were allegedly in a romantic relationship.
The two had reportedly started living together in January after Rawat took Kiran away from her home. Kiran later became pregnant and Rawat was taking care of her, police said.
The couple had only one mobile phone, which belonged to Rawat. He would reportedly leave the phone with Kiran before going to work. Police said Rawat began suspecting that she was talking to someone else on the phone, leading to frequent arguments between the two.
According to DCP Prashant Kiran, Rawat allegedly strangled Kiran to death on the morning of September 23.
Police said he kept her body inside the house before allegedly deciding to bury it in the lawn. Investigators said Rawat dug a pit in front of the house and buried the body, allegedly taking inspiration from crime scenes he had seen in films.
Police said he also put around 2 kg of salt over the body before covering the pit with soil.VISITED TEMPLE AFTER ALLEGED MURDER
The day after the alleged murder, Rawat reportedly locked the house and went to Samod Hanuman Temple, where he offered prayers before returning to Jaipur.
Police said he then continued working at a factory on September 25 and 26, allegedly to avoid suspicion. On the night of September 26, he informed his family about Kiran's death.
After recovering Kiran's body, police launched a search for Rawat. Investigators said he switched off his mobile phone and fled Jaipur.ARRESTED NEAR UP BORDER
According to police, Rawat had gone to the factory on the morning of September 27, before fleeing the city, and borrowed Rs 500 from his contractor.
His mobile phone was switched on again later, allowing police to track his location near the Uttar Pradesh border. A police team subsequently arrested him.
Police said Rawat initially gave investigators a different account, claiming that Kiran had died by suicide and that he buried her body out of fear.
The accused has been arrested and police are now questioning him to establish the exact motive, sequence of events and circumstances surrounding Kiran's death.- Ends
With over 25 years of experience in the industry, Vishal Sharma is the founder partner and principal architect at Confluence, an award-winning multidisciplinary firm.
