Frustrated by a widow’s repeated demands for marriage, a former village pradhan and his nephew murdered her in Jhansi’s Kishorpura village, chopped the body into seven pieces, stuffed them into sacks, and dumped them in a well and near a bridge.
A woman’s dismembered body was found dumped in a well in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi district. Police have arrested two men in connection with the murder — a former village head, identified as the victim’s lover, and his nephew. A third accomplice, who helped execute the murder, remains at large, said police.
Pressured and frustrated by the woman’s constant urges to get married, the former village pradhan, Sanjay Patel, along with his nephew, Sandeep Patel murdered the woman in Jhansi’s Kishorpura village, cut her body into seven pieces and stuffed them into sacks, subsequently dumping them into a well and near a bridge.
The case came to light on August 13 when a farmer inspecting his fields noticed a foul smell emanating from a well. Upon inspection, two sacks were found floating in the water, containing body parts of a woman. The discovery sent shockwaves through the community and posed a significant challenge for local authorities.
Following the incident, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Jhansi, formed eight investigative teams to crack the case. On August 17, police recovered the victim’s hands from the drained well. However, the head and legs were missing, complicating identification. A post-mortem was conducted, and cremation took place on August 18.
Police investigations revealed the murder was premeditated due to the victim’s persistent marriage demands on the former pradhan. In response, Patel conspired with his associates to eliminate her, resulting in her brutal murder. Intense investigations included questioning over 100 villagers and examining footage from more than 200 CCTV cameras.
Thousands of posters were distributed, eventually leading to the victim’s identification as Rachna Yadav, a widow from Tikamgarh, two hours from Jhansi.
The breakthrough came when Rachna’s brother recognised her after seeing one of the posters. She had been entangled in a legal dispute supported by the former village pradhan, during which they developed an intimate relationship.
According to police, on August 8, the accused strangled Rachna and transported her body to a well, where it was dismembered to conceal evidence. The crime scene was carefully analysed, with bricks and soil samples matching local materials.
“Two sacks containing parts of a woman’s body were recovered from a well in Kishorpura village under Todifatehpur police station. Eight teams were formed to investigate the case. Today, the woman’s head was recovered from the Lakheri river,” the SSP told India Today TV on Thursday.
