An investigation that began as a search for a robber who fled after killing the head of a household has unearthed a more sinister plot in Madhya Pradesh. The police found that the man's murder was not a home break-in gone wrong, but a hit orchestrated by his wife and her paramour.
The 28-year-old Purohit Devkrishna was found murdered in his home in Bhopal on 7 April. His wife, Priyanka Purohit, had claimed that unidentified burglars tied her up and left with valuables worth ₹3.5 lakh. Devkrishna was reportedly killed while trying to stop them, she told the police.
Purohit Devkrishna was attacked with a sharp object, which caused several injuries to his body. As the investigation progressed, the team grew suspicious of Priyanka as her statements changed more than once. When they tracked her telephone history, it was revealed that she was constantly in touch with a man called Kamlesh Purohit, a 32-year-old resident of Rajgarh.
When pressed for clarity, Priyanka broke down and confessed that it was a plot executed alongside Kamlesh that led to Devkrishna's death. Finding the marriage an obstacle to a future together, the lovers decided to kill Devkrishna and hired a hitman called Surendra Bhati.
The contract killer demanded ₹1 lakh for the murder, and Kamlesh paid him half the amount in advance, NDTV said in a report. Priyanka purposefully left the door of the house unbolted on the night of 7 April for Bhati, who easily entered the house and killed her husband in his sleep, the report added.
The police were also able to recover the assets that Priyanka claimed were taken by the burglars from the house itself. While the lovers are under arrest, Surendra Bhati remains on the run.
Meanwhile, Purohit Devkrishna's sister alleged that Priyanka often belittled him over his skin colour. She used to tell her husband that she deserved someone better-looking than the dark-skinned Devkrishna. Devkrishna kept his cool and took all the insults as he wanted peace in the family, the sister reportedly said.
The police suspect the murder was the culmination of deception and an illicit relationship that had been going on for a long time.