‘I deserve better, tum kaale ho’: Woman, lover conspire to get husband killed in Madhya Pradesh

The woman was in a relationship with Kamlesh Purohit, and the two allegedly conspired to kill her husband Dev Krishna, seeing him as an obstacle.

A 28-year-old man was found stabbed to death at his home in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district earlier this week, with police later uncovering an alleged murder conspiracy involving his wife and her lover. The case, initially reported as a robbery, was cracked within 36 hours, officials said on Thursday.

Woman, lover conspire to get husband killed in Madhya Pradesh. (PTI/representative )

The victim, Dev Krishna Purohit, was killed on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday at his residence in Gondikheda Charan village, around 60 km from the district headquarters, news agency PTI reported.

Soon after the incident, his wife, Priyanka Purohit (25), approached police claiming that unidentified assailants had broken into their house, attacked her husband with a sharp weapon while holding her captive in another room, and escaped with valuables.

However, police began to suspect foul play after noticing inconsistencies in her account.

Investigation reveals alleged conspiracy

Superintendent of Police Mayank Awasthi said that further investigation pointed towards a planned killing. Priyanka, who had been married to Dev Krishna since she was around 15, had reportedly been unwilling to live with him after moving to her matrimonial home, leading to frequent disputes.

Police said she was in a relationship with a 32-year-old man, Kamlesh Purohit, a resident of Rajgarh. According to police, the two allegedly conspired to remove Dev Krishna, whom they saw as an obstacle.

The plan, police said, involved hiring a contract killer identified as Surendra for ₹1 lakh to carry out the murder.

Family alleges troubled marriage

Family members of the deceased said the marriage had been strained for a long time, NDTV reported. His sister, Jyoti, reportedly alleged that Priyanka would often insult Dev Krishna saying, "You are dark-skinned... you don't deserve me... I deserve someone better." "Tum kaale ho (You are dark-skinned), you don't deserve me."

Technical evidence exposes links

Technical evidence, including mobile phone data, played a key role in unravelling the case. Call records and other inputs established contact between Priyanka and Kamlesh around the time of the murder, raising further suspicion, NDTV reported.

After questioning, Priyanka eventually confessed to her role in the conspiracy, police said.

Following the confession, police arrested Priyanka and Kamlesh. Efforts are currently underway to trace and arrest the alleged contract killer, Surendra, who remains absconding.

(With inputs from PTI)