Navy man held weeks after his wife, mother-in-law killed in gas explosion in Goa

Rajawat, police said, is accused of killing his pregnant wife, Shivani Rajawat, 26, and her mother, Jaidevi Chauhan, 50. The duo died at their home on November 18 last year

The Goa Police on Friday arrested a navy man identified as Anurag Singh Rajawat more than one month after his wife and mother-in-law were killed in an LPG gas explosion in Vasco da Gama, officials aware of the matter said.

(Representative Photo)

Rajawat, police said, is accused of killing his pregnant wife, Shivani Rajawat, 26, and her mother, Jaidevi Chauhan, 50. The duo died at their home on November 18 last year. Anurag has been charged with executing the killing of his wife in a dowry death case, police said.

Police said that Anurag has been under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code as well as for dowry harassment, while members of his family have been named as accused in the dowry harassment case.

According to the police, they arrested Anurag on Friday night, following a report by the sub-divisional magistrate, who, acting on a complaint by the wife’s family that he harassed Shivani for dowry, asked the Goa Police to probe the deaths.

Shivani and her mother, who were at home at the time of the explosion, were killed in a blast suspected to be caused by a gas cylinder in the New Vaddem neighbourhood of the Vasco da Gama port town, police said.

Prima facie it was believed that the explosion was caused by a gas leak overnight, which ignited when the women attempted to light the gas stove in the morning.

Shivani’s brother subsequently filed a complaint before the district administration alleging that Anurag had demanded Rs.20 lakh dowry from the family and was harassing Shivani and their mother. He also alleged foul play in the deaths of his sister and mother and accused Anurag of executing their murder.

Following the complaint, the district sub-divisional magistrate launched a probe.

The family hails from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh and were staying at a rented premises at Vasco da Gama.