Husband, aides kill Ludhiana woman, hide body in bed

In a case of premeditated murder, a 35-year-old woman from Ludhiana was allegedly killed by her husband and two accomplices who then hid her decomposing body inside a bed storage unit. The accused wrapped the body in a blanket and placed incense sticks around it to suppress the foul smell, the police said.

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The gruesome crime came to light when residents of Satyam Enclave in Vivek Vihar reported a foul odour emanating from a locked flat. Police officers who broke into the apartment made the grisly discovery — the victim’s decomposing body stuffed inside a bag within the bed box, with blood stains visible near the rear entrance.

The police identified the prime suspects as the victim’s husband Ashish Kumar (45), flat owner Vivekanand Mishra (64) and their accomplice Abhay Kumar Jha, alias Sonu (29), a driver from Bihar.

The police arrested Mishra first, tracking him down near Surajmal Park in Anand Vihar as he attempted to flee. During interrogation, Mishra’s mobile phone yielded disturbing evidence — searches for “how to dissolve a body in chemicals” and locations of Delhi Jal Board manholes and drains near his residence.

The second breakthrough came when Jha was apprehended at Aligarh railway station while trying to board the Magadh Express to Bihar. During questioning, Jha confessed that he and Ashish Kumar had brought the victim, identified as Anjali, alias Anju, from Ludhiana, to Delhi with the intention to murder her.

Investigations revealed the trio killed Anjali on March 23 before fleeing to Jaipur, where they stayed at the house of Jha’s cousin. Call records confirm all three travelled together to Jaipur, after which Mishra returned alone to Delhi while Jha and Kumar proceeded to Bihar.

“The accused’s online searches and coordinated movements leave no doubt this was a cold-blooded, pre-planned murder,” said DCP (Shahdara) Prashant Gautam. “While we have two in custody, we are closing in on prime accused Ashish Kumar who remains at large.”

The police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and are examining forensic evidence from the crime scene. The victim’s body has been sent for postmortem to determine the exact cause and time of death.