Couple killed, bodies thrown into crocodile-infested river in Madhya Pradesh

The teenager’s family allegedly killed the couple for marrying against their wishes after police traced them to Agra following their elopement and handed them back to their families

Updated on: Jun 19, 2023, 14:47:23 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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An 18-year-old woman and her husband were killed and their bodies were thrown into a crocodile-infested river in Madhya Pradesh’s Morena for marrying against the wishes of the teenager’s family after police traced them to Agra following their elopement and handed them back to their families.

Police said a State Disaster Response Force team was scouring the river for the couple’s bodies. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Police superintendent (Morena) Shailendra Chouhan said that a State Disaster Response Force team was scouring the Chambal River for the bodies of Shivani Tomar and her husband, Radheshyam Tomar, 21. He said the woman’s father, Rajpal Tomar, and six other family members have confessed to the murders and that they were trying to arrest more accused.

Radhyeshyam’s Tomar’s father, Lakhan Singh, accused the police of inaction and blamed it for the murders and the delay in the investigation. Singh said that they filed a missing complaint on June 4 and suspected Rajpal Tomar and his family had killed the couple because they threatened them with consequences. “Police did not act for two weeks and treated it as a case of elopement. After we put pressure, the police started the probe in this direction and detained Rajpal.”

The couple eloped on May 6 and got married. A purported video the couple sent to their families showed them telling them that they were married and happy while requesting them not to trouble them.

The police traced the couple to Agra on May 11 and handed them over to their families. “The couple told police that they were adults and can take their own decisions. But police did not listen to them,” said Singh.

Chouhan said that the investigation was going on. “A team has been formed to inquire into all angles of the case.” He cited the confessional statements and added that the accused told the police that the couple was planning to run away. “They were caught by the family members and thrashed. They were shot dead on June 3 and their bodies were thrown in the Chambal river after tying them to stones. The family objected to their relationship as they belong to the same clan,” said Chauhan.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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