Wife, Lover Held in Dhar Husband Murder; Police See Parallels With Raja Raghuwanshi Case

Priyanka and her paramour Kamlesh allegedly killed chilli merchant Devkrishna Purohit in Gondikheda Charan village and staged a robbery to cover their tracks — a pattern eerily reminiscent of the Indore murder case that shocked Madhya Pradesh.

The Crime

A calculated murder hidden behind a fabricated robbery has rattled Gondikheda Charan village in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district. Chilli merchant Devkrishna Purohit was found dead at his residence early Tuesday morning, with a 12-inch deep head wound that medical examiners and investigators say could not have resulted from a routine robbery gone wrong.

Wife's Staged Distress

In the immediate aftermath, Purohit's wife Priyanka presented herself as a traumatised victim. She told officers that three to four unknown assailants had broken into their home late on Monday night, restrained the couple in separate rooms, looted jewellery worth ₹3 lakh and ₹50,000 in cash from a drawer, and fatally attacked Devkrishna when he attempted to resist.

Her tearful account held just long enough for initial formalities. Within six hours, Dhar Superintendent of Police Mayank Awasthi and his team had begun finding threads that did not hold together.

Contradictions Emerge

Senior investigators flagged two immediate concerns: the unusual depth and precision of the head wound, which pointed to a targeted, sustained attack rather than a scuffle; and Priyanka's shifting version of events during questioning. Her mobile phone was also unaccounted for — a detail that would later prove significant.

Forensic indicators recovered from the crime scene, according to sources close to the investigation, suggested that both Priyanka and her associate Kamlesh had been present at the location after the killing — consistent with staging an aftermath, not with being victims of an intrusion.

Affair and Motive

As police pressed deeper, a clearer picture emerged. Devkrishna and Priyanka had been married young — both were around 15 years of age at the time of their wedding. In the period leading up to the murder, Priyanka had reportedly been absent from home on extended stretches and had developed an intimate relationship with Kamlesh, a man from the same community.

She had returned from her maternal home five to six days before the incident, as per investigation findings — a timeline investigators believe was used to finalise the plan with Kamlesh.

Confession Under Questioning

Late Tuesday night, confronted with mounting evidence, Priyanka broke down during sustained interrogation and confessed. She admitted that she and Kamlesh had conspired to kill Devkrishna so that they could live together without obstruction. Both have since been taken into custody.

Echoes of Raghuwanshi Case

Investigators and officials have drawn pointed comparisons to the Raja Raghuwanshi murder in Indore, where a woman named Sonam similarly conspired with her lover to eliminate her husband. The Dhar case follows an almost identical arc: a marital affair, a planned killing, and a theatrical robbery narrative built around it to mislead police. The Raghuwanshi murder had triggered widespread public outrage and debate around domestic crime patterns in Madhya Pradesh.

Official Statement

SP Mayank Awasthi confirmed the arrests and stated that a formal press conference would be held to disclose the full scope of the investigation. "This is not a robbery but a pre-planned murder," he said, adding that both the wife and her lover are in custody and the entire matter would be placed on record officially.

The village has been gripped by fear and anger since the incident. A formal chargesheet is expected once forensic and digital evidence is fully compiled. The case is being monitored at the district level, as per government sources, given its sensitivity and the public interest it has generated as a trending news story in India.