Gwalior police launch manhunt for husband, brother-in-law after neighborhood tip-off foils secret cremation
A 32-year-old woman was allegedly shot dead during a celebratory firing incident at her residence in the Thatipur area here on Sunday, following which her husband and brother-in-law allegedly hid her body inside a commercial deep freezer to conduct a secret midnight cremation, police said on Monday.
The police recovered the body just hours before the planned funeral after receiving an anonymous tip-off from a resident in the neighborhood.
According to the police, the incident occurred between 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM on Sunday during a traditional Chhatti ceremony celebrating the birth of a newborn boy at the residence of Manoj Kushwah in Trupti Nagar, Nadi Paar Taal. While relatives and guests were present, the host’s younger brother, identified as Yogesh Kushwah, was reportedly handling an illegal country-made pistol to perform a celebratory firing.
Eyewitnesses informed investigators that Yogesh was repeatedly loading and unloading the firearm when it accidentally discharged. The bullet struck the infant’s mother, Jahnavi alias Jyoti Kushwah, in the head, killing her on the spot.
Instead of alerting the local police or medical authorities, the deceased’s husband, Manoj, and the accused brother-in-law, Yogesh, allegedly concocted a plan to suppress the evidence of the shooting. The duo procured a commercial deep freezer to preserve the body and told neighbors that Jahnavi had died due to a sudden, prolonged illness.
“The suspects deliberately misled neighbors regarding the cause of death and attempted to dispose of the body clandestinely to evade legal consequences,” a senior investigating officer privy to the probe said. “A case has been registered under relevant sections of the law, and multiple police teams are conducting raids to arrest the absconding suspects.”
The conspiracy came to light late Sunday night when a neighbor grew suspicious over the sudden arrival of a deep freezer box and the family’s preparations for an unusual 11:00 PM cremation. The resident subsequently alerted the Thatipur police station.
A police team dispatched to the spot recovered the body from the freezer and sent it to a state-run hospital for a mandatory post-mortem examination. Seeing the police vehicles arrive, both Manoj and Yogesh fled the scene and remain at large.
A team of forensic experts also visited the house to collect physical and scientific evidence from the crime scene. The police have registered a case against the two men and are currently investigation the source of the illegal firearm.
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