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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
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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 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.
