On a grim Saturday morning, villagers were shaken when the body of Nageshwar Rauniyar (26) was discovered alongside a road near Damki village, about 25 kilometres from his home in Rajabari under Kotwali Thuthibari police station. His wife Neha and her alleged lover Jitendra are now under custody, after confessing to murdering him and making it look like an accident.

The case unfolded when Nageshwar didn’t return home after leaving on his bike late Friday evening. His distraught father, Keshav Raj Rauniyar, reported him missing, and by morning learned of his son’s lifeless body. He accused his daughter-in-law and Jitendra of plotting the killing to camouflage it as a roadside mishap.

Authorities say that Neha called Nageshwar to a secluded location, got him drunk until he lost consciousness, then strangled him while Jitendra repeatedly attacked him with a weapon. The two then transported his body on a motorcycle—Neha held the corpse behind, Jitendra rode despite carrying Neha’s child—and discarded it on the roadside. During the ride, Nageshwar’s feet dragged along the ground, causing visible damage.

Accused Tried to Flee

Jitendra and Neha attempted to flee to Mumbai after abandoning the body. However, they were arrested near Partawal, with the help of mobile location tracking and information from the victim’s father.

In her statement, Neha described ongoing conflict in the marriage. She alleged that Nageshwar harassed her, refused divorce, and upended her life. She said she no longer wanted to live with him, and that the disputes — including confrontations and unwanted phone calls — had become unbearable.

Inspector Akhilesh Kumar Verma told India Today TV, “Based on the father’s complaint, we registered a case and interrogated the accused. They confessed to the crime. The deceased and Jitendra were from the same village and worked together. After Nageshwar went to jail under NDPS Act, Jitendra grew close to Neha. When Nageshwar came out, he became an obstacle in their relationship, so the two killed him together.”

Wife Confesses to Killing Husband

Neha also offered her version of events during interrogation. She claimed that while Nageshwar was intoxicated, they tied him, she strangled him, and Jitendra stabbed him. After his death, she said, “After committing the murder, I cried a lot and fainted while crying. When I regained consciousness, Jitendra consoled me. Then we took out my husband’s bike to dispose of the body. Jitendra started riding the bike to make the murder look like an accident. We kept the body in the middle. I sat behind. My husband’s feet were dragging on the ground. We took the body 1 kilometer from home. Then we threw the body and the bike there and came home.”

Jitendra similarly admitted their affair had begun while Nageshwar was imprisoned under drug laws. He said that once Nageshwar was released, he opposed Neha’s involvement with him, which led to growing tension. “My father is a grain merchant. Nageshwar used to work at my shop for some days. Nageshwar had given me a number to talk to a girl. It was his wife Neha’s number. We grew close and both of us started dreaming of getting married. But, Nageshwar was an obstacle in our way. That is why both of us conspired to kill him,” Jitendra told police.

Law enforcement quickly moved after the body was reported. Superintendent Somendra Meena noted Neha’s calm behavior during initial questioning raised red flags. A postmortem later confirmed the cause of death was homicide. Within 24 hours, both accused had been arrested.

This case has sparked outrage in the community, particularly given Nageshwar’s role as the eldest son supporting a family, including a wife, young child, younger brother and sisters.