On Sunday (7th January), a 27-year-old man named Neeraj Kushwaha killed his wife and young daughter over an extramarital relationship. The incident occurred in Mohalla Chandmari in the Lalitpur district of Uttar Pradesh.
As per reports, the victims were identified as 22-year-old Manisha and one-year-old Nipeksha. Neeraj Khushwaha had a heated argument with his wife Manisha on Sunday night over his love affair. After the fight escalated, the accused hit Manisha with a cricket bat and killed her.
In the meantime, his one-year-old daughter Nipeksha woke up from her sleep. Neeraj then proceeded to strangle her to death. At about 2 a.m., he began concocting an elaborate story to cover up his crime.
Three hours later, he called his friend and claimed that a dozen masked men robbed their house and killed his wife and daughter. Neeraj also hit his head against the wall to portray himself as the victim.
He also ransacked his own house to give the appearance of a robbery. The accused hid the cricket bat, the murder weapon in this case, inside the cupboard.
When the news spread, Neeraj Kushwaha was admitted to the Lalitpur district hospital. To make his story believable, he requested the doctors to administer him oxygen.
Police refuse to buy ‘robbery angle’
The Superintendent of Police (SP) formed 6 teams to investigate the matter. They analysed the CCTV footage around the house but did not find evidence of dozens of masked men breaking into the building.
The inconsistent claims of the accused, coupled with the discovery of Manisha’s ring and mangalsutra from behind the TV set, made the police question the robbery angle.
The cops also found blood splattered on the walls above the bed although Neeraj told them that the victims were killed on the ground. This made them suspicious and the accused was taken in for questioning.
Cops arrest Neeraj Kushwaha, accused confesses to the crime
A wedding decorator by occupation, Neeraj confessed to killing his wife and one-year-old daughter during the interrogation. It has come to light that he would often have arguments with his deceased wife Manisha over his extramarital relationship.
Neeraj married Manisha, the niece of Lalitpur district panchayat member, in 2020. He was arrested by the police. A First Information Report (FIR) was also registered against Neeraj and his family based on the complaint of Manisha’s father Purushottam Kushwaha.
The Superintendent of Police (Lalitpur) gave a reward of ₹25000 to the police team for solving the criminal case in record time.