Shock, disbelief and grief have engulfed two closely connected families in Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar district after a newly married woman allegedly murdered her husband with the help of her lover and his friends — a chilling crime now being referred to as Rajasthan’s “honeymoon murder”.
Anjali, 23, a resident of Sadulshahar, had married 27-year-old Ashish from 1-KLM village, barely 30 kilometres from the Pakistan border, just three months ago. On paper, the marriage appeared ideal. Ashish held an MSc degree in Geology and was pursuing a B.Ed, while Anjali was studying for an M.Com. Adding to the bond were decades-old family ties — three marriages had already taken place between the two families.
Ashish had been adopted in childhood by his uncle and aunt, who had no son. They raised him as their own and recently arranged his marriage to Anjali, who is the adoptive mother’s niece.
When NDTV spoke to Ashish’s family on Thursday, they said Anjali appeared to be settling in well. That, they said, made the events of January 30 even more devastating.
A Walk That Turned Fatal
On the evening of the incident, Ashish and Anjali went for a walk with Ashish’s cousin Ankit and his wife. According to Ankit, the group initially walked along their usual route.
“We normally don’t take the deserted road,” Ankit recalled. “Ashish dropped me and my wife home. Then, at Anjali’s insistence, they took that route.”
Hours later, the family was informed that Ashish and Anjali had been found unconscious on the roadside in what appeared to be a hit-and-run accident. Ashish was declared dead at the community health centre, while Anjali, claiming her gold jewellery had been stolen, drifted in and out of consciousness.
However, injuries on Ashish’s body, contradictions in Anjali’s statements and a detailed police investigation soon revealed the truth — the incident was no accident, but a carefully planned murder.
Murder Plot Uncovered
Police found that Anjali had rekindled a relationship with her former boyfriend Sanju, a waiter who worked at wedding functions. On the night of the crime, Sanju and his friends Rohit (alias Rocky) and Badal were hiding in bushes along the deserted road.
As Ashish and Anjali arrived, the men attacked Ashish, strangled him to death and attempted to stage the murder as a road accident. Anjali reportedly handed her earrings to Sanju and lay on the ground pretending to be unconscious when authorities arrived.
‘She Should Be Given the Death Penalty’
In Ashish’s village, anger and grief remain raw. His father Ramrakh demanded the harshest punishment for Anjali.
“Her behaviour always seemed normal. She mixed well with the family,” he said. “After the murder, she pretended to be unconscious and didn’t speak to us. We want her to be given the death penalty. Even her family agrees.”
Ashish’s mother was too distraught to speak.
Shame and Anger in Anjali’s Neighbourhood
The mood was equally grim in Sadulshahar’s Chhajgariya Mohalla, where Anjali’s family has lived for four decades. Her father passed away 13 years ago, and she lived with her mother, two brothers and their wives.
Neighbours claimed Anjali met Sanju in Sri Ganganagar city and suggested her family may have been aware of the relationship. Some believed the marriage to Ashish was an attempt to separate her from Sanju — but that she resumed contact after returning home post-wedding.
Anjali’s uncle strongly denied the allegations.
“We are devastated and deeply ashamed,” he told media. “Our families have been connected for 50 years. Two of my sisters are married there. We had no idea about this relationship. If we had known, we would have died rather than let this marriage happen.”
Calling for capital punishment, he added, “Anjali and the three men should be given the death penalty. She has destroyed both families. We don’t know how to face society.”
‘An Unlikely Match’
Neighbours also expressed disbelief that Anjali would kill Ashish — whose family was financially well-off — to be with Sanju, who was neither educated nor financially stable.
Police officials confirmed that Sanju lost his father a few years ago and supports two brothers and two sisters.
“He worked as a waiter at weddings and functions. He had no criminal record,” a police officer said. “Yet, he carried out the murder with his friends.”