2 wives in same house, domestic abuse, 1 deadly plot: Chilling details in ex-Congress sarpanch's family murder

AJMER: Police said Friday the deaths of a 52-year-old former sarpanch and three members of his family, whose charred bodies were found inside a burnt SUV near Shri Rampura village in Arai area of Ajmer district Thursday morning, were not accidental but a planned quadruple murder.

Investigators said the killings were allegedly carried out by the man’s first wife and their two children, including a minor son.

Bodies of Ram Singh Choudhary, former sarpanch of Borada Gram Panchayat and a Congress associate, his mother Poosa Devi (78), his second wife Surgyan Devi (45), and his niece Mahima, were recovered from the scorched SUV parked near State Highway 7E, around a kilometre from their home.

Police arrested Choudhary’s first wife Sunita (43) and the couple’s daughter Sarita (18) and detained their 16-year-old son in connection with the four murders.

Ajmer Superintendent of Police Harsh Vardhan Agarwala said the crime was allegedly rooted in prolonged domestic abuse after Choudhary married a second time in 2016 without divorcing Sunita. Police said both wives lived with him.

“After the second marriage, Choudhary started beating his first wife Sunita and daughter Sarita. He also started abusing the duo and his son,” Agarwala said, adding that he allegedly restricted their movement and contact with relatives.

Investigators said the minor son had been planning an attack for months and had ordered a sharp knife online around four to five months ago. Police said another altercation took place Wednesday evening between Choudhary and Sunita, and the killings followed hours later.

According to police, around 4am Thursday, the three accused allegedly killed all four victims at the house. They then attempted to destroy evidence by loading the bodies into an SUV, driving it about a kilometre towards Arai road, and setting it on fire using diesel siphoned from a tractor in the courtyard. Sources said the accused told investigators they did not drive farther due to a toll plaza ahead and fear of being noticed.

Police said the case initially appeared to be an accident, but forensic and scene examination changed the direction of the probe. Teams recovered bloodstains inside the house, and evidence collected by the Mobile Operations Branch and Forensic Science Laboratory supported the murder theory. After post-mortem examinations, the bodies were handed over to relatives.