In a shocking incident, a 25-year-old man allegedly strangled his live-in partner to death and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area of Jharkhand's Khunti district. The gruesome incident came to light nearly two weeks after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in the Jariagarh police station area on November 24. The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra who works as a butcher, has been arrested.
According to police, Bhengra and the 24-year-old victim, both hailing from Khunti district, had been living together in Tamil Nadu for the past few years. Recently, Bhengra returned to Jharkhand, secretly married another woman and then returned to Tamil Nadu without his wife to rejoin his partner.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told news agency PTI.
Accused worked at butcher shop in Tamil Nadu
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was an expert in slicing chicken. "He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told the media. Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
Woman’s belongings help identify victim
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said. Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
Shraddha Walker murder replay
It should be mentioned here that the incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory. Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
(With PTI inputs)
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