Jhansi man kills murder co-accused aunt after she demands money to pursue case
The matter came to light on Friday when locals discovered Lovely Khushwaha’s burnt body in a secluded area in Jhansi.
The police were alerted on Friday about the partially burnt body of a woman lying in dense bushes in Jhansi's Pathakaraka village. (File Photo) Hours after the police identified the largely burnt body of a 49-year-old woman found in dense bushes in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi two days earlier, they arrested the woman’s nephew, who had been a co-accused with her in a 2022 murder case.
The police said the murder of Ladkunwar, alias Lovely Kushwaha, stemmed from a dispute between her and her nephew, Pramod Kushwaha, 40.
During the preliminary investigation, it emerged that Lovely was allegedly pressuring Pramod for money to pursue the case. Frustrated by her repeated demands, he allegedly killed her.
Jhansi Additional Superintendent of Police Preeti Singh said police are questioning Pramod Kushwaha extensively as they seek to piece together the circumstances surrounding the killing.
“Pramod claims he was driven to frustration by his aunt’s repeated demands for money to pursue the case,” Singh said.
The matter came to light on Friday when locals discovered a burnt body in a secluded area and alerted the police, who rushed to the scene and took possession of the remains.
After photographs of the body were circulated on social media, the victim’s family came forward and identified her through her clothes and jewellery, as her face and several body parts had been severely charred. A postmortem examination has been conducted, and officials are awaiting the report.
Bail after nearly 2 years in jail
Jai Prakash, Station House Officer, Uldan police station, said Lovely Kushwaha had previously been arrested in 2022 along with two others, including Pramod Kushwaha, in connection with the murder of local resident Dinesh Kumar Rai.
The police alleged Rai was killed after a dispute erupted when he sought the return of nearly Rs 8 lakh he had given to the accused. Lovely spent nearly two years in jail before securing bail, while the case remains pending before the court.
A resident of Bangra Dhawa village in Jhansi, Lovely Kushwaha is survived by her husband Mohanlal Kushwaha, who runs a catering business, and their three children. Their two sons assist their father in the family business.
Lovely’s son Akhilesh Kushwaha said, “Pramod lives about 100 m from our house and is involved in catering and agriculture. We have no information about his arrest in connection with my mother’s murder.”
The police said the spot where the body was found is around 6 km from the victim’s home.
According to the police, they were alerted on Friday about the partially burnt body of a woman lying in dense bushes near a drain in Pathakaraka village. A team rushed to the scene, recovered the body, and circulated photographs to establish her identity, as she could not initially be identified. Later, the victim’s family arrived at the Uldan police station and confirmed that the body was Lovely Kushwaha’s.
During preliminary questioning, the family told the police that the victim left home on Thursday evening while speaking to someone on her phone. When she had not returned two hours later, at around 9 pm, her son Arvind tried calling her, only to find her mobile switched off. The family launched a search but was unable to trace her.
As the search continued, they received information that a half-burnt body had been discovered near a drain in Pathakaraka village.
The family later identified the burnt body through personal belongings found at the scene and alleged that the killers had set the body on fire to conceal her identity and destroy evidence.
Based on a complaint filed by Akhilesh Kushwaha, the police registered a murder case against unidentified people.
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