Ajmer woman kills 4, burns bodies in SUV, then weeps with mourners after killing
Police allege a woman staged dramatic mourning after helping kill her husband, his mother, second wife and relative over a family dispute linked to his second marriage.
She beat her chest, screamed in agony and appeared to faint as grieving relatives gathered after four members of her family were found dead in Rajasthan's Ajmer district.
Police now allege it was all an act.
In a case that has stunned Rajasthan, investigators say Sunita Choudhary helped murder her husband, former sarpanch Ram Singh Choudhary, his mother, his second wife and another relative before their bodies were loaded into a Scorpio SUV and set ablaze in an attempt to stage a fatal accident.
The murders came to light after villagers spotted a burning Scorpio on a highway near Shrirampura village in Ajmer district.
Three charred bodies were found inside the vehicle, while a fourth body was recovered from a nearby field.
The victims were identified as Ram Singh Choudhary, his mother Poosi Devi, second wife Suryagyan Devi and Mahima Chaudhary, a relative of the family.
Police initially suspected a horrific accident.
But forensic teams soon noticed injuries on the bodies that suggested foul play.
"The bodies had injuries that pointed towards murder. Scientific evidence and local inputs gradually exposed the truth," an officer involved in the investigation said.
As investigators worked through the evidence, attention began shifting towards the family itself.
Back at the house, Sunita was surrounded by women from the village, crying inconsolably and appearing devastated by the tragedy.
"Nobody suspected her initially," a police official said.
Investigators say Sunita even told officers that Ram Singh had taken his mother to hospital after she complained of chest pain.
That version soon began to unravel.
According to Ajmer SP Harsh Vardhan Agarwala, investigators uncovered a long-running domestic dispute linked to Ram Singh's second marriage. Both wives reportedly lived in the same house.
"Ram Singh had two wives, and there was a dispute in the family on this matter," Agarwala said.
Police believe tensions boiled over late Wednesday night during an argument inside the house.
Investigators allege Sunita, her daughter Sarita and her minor son attacked the four victims with sharp-edged weapons.
The bodies were then allegedly transported in Ram Singh's Scorpio and set on fire on a highway to make the deaths appear accidental.
As forensic evidence, technical analysis and statements from villagers came together, police say the alleged conspiracy quickly fell apart.
"Small pieces of information from villagers and technical evidence exposed the entire conspiracy," Agarwala said.
Sunita and her two children have been detained and are being questioned about the killings and the alleged cover-up.
What has shocked residents most is not just the brutality of the murders, but what police describe as the performance that followed.
While officers were investigating four bodies found in a burning SUV, the woman they now accuse of helping carry out the killings was sitting among mourners, grieving for the dead.
She beat her chest, screamed in agony and appeared to faint as grieving relatives gathered after four members of her family were found dead in Rajasthan's Ajmer district.
Police now allege it was all an act.
In a case that has stunned Rajasthan, investigators say Sunita Choudhary helped murder her husband, former sarpanch Ram Singh Choudhary, his mother, his second wife and another relative before their bodies were loaded into a Scorpio SUV and set ablaze in an attempt to stage a fatal accident.
The murders came to light after villagers spotted a burning Scorpio on a highway near Shrirampura village in Ajmer district.
Three charred bodies were found inside the vehicle, while a fourth body was recovered from a nearby field.
The victims were identified as Ram Singh Choudhary, his mother Poosi Devi, second wife Suryagyan Devi and Mahima Chaudhary, a relative of the family.
Police initially suspected a horrific accident.
But forensic teams soon noticed injuries on the bodies that suggested foul play.
"The bodies had injuries that pointed towards murder. Scientific evidence and local inputs gradually exposed the truth," an officer involved in the investigation said.
As investigators worked through the evidence, attention began shifting towards the family itself.
Back at the house, Sunita was surrounded by women from the village, crying inconsolably and appearing devastated by the tragedy.
"Nobody suspected her initially," a police official said.
Investigators say Sunita even told officers that Ram Singh had taken his mother to hospital after she complained of chest pain.
That version soon began to unravel.
According to Ajmer SP Harsh Vardhan Agarwala, investigators uncovered a long-running domestic dispute linked to Ram Singh's second marriage. Both wives reportedly lived in the same house.
"Ram Singh had two wives, and there was a dispute in the family on this matter," Agarwala said.
Police believe tensions boiled over late Wednesday night during an argument inside the house.
Investigators allege Sunita, her daughter Sarita and her minor son attacked the four victims with sharp-edged weapons.
The bodies were then allegedly transported in Ram Singh's Scorpio and set on fire on a highway to make the deaths appear accidental.
As forensic evidence, technical analysis and statements from villagers came together, police say the alleged conspiracy quickly fell apart.
"Small pieces of information from villagers and technical evidence exposed the entire conspiracy," Agarwala said.
Sunita and her two children have been detained and are being questioned about the killings and the alleged cover-up.
What has shocked residents most is not just the brutality of the murders, but what police describe as the performance that followed.
While officers were investigating four bodies found in a burning SUV, the woman they now accuse of helping carry out the killings was sitting among mourners, grieving for the dead.
