Married woman, lover fake her suicide to elope, kill elderly man in Gujarat

A married woman and her lover allegedly murdered an elderly man in Gujarat's Kutch, staging his death as a suicide to escape together.

In Short

• Couple murdered elderly man in Kutch to fake woman's death
• Rami and Anil burned body of the old man to mislead family
• Couple confessed to woman's father after failed escape plan

An elderly man was murdered in Gujarat's Kutch, allegedly by a 27-year-old married woman and her lover, in an attempt to fake her suicide. The duo did not know the man and murdered him in order to elope together, officials said on Sunday.

After planning their escape, the couple, identified as Rami Kesariya and Anil Gangal, killed the man, who was wandering alone, then burned his body.

The duo were arrested on Saturday, three months after the crime in July.

According to police, Rami and Anil lured the elderly man and killed him. Later, they burnt his body to create the illusion that Rami had ended her life. "This act was intended to mislead family members and facilitate their escape, allowing the couple to live freely together," police said.

Rami even left her clothes, phone and footwear near the burning logs so that her family would believe that she had died by suicide.

On July 3, the couple executed their plan and left the village shortly afterward. The following day, Anil returned to gauge the situation at Rami's home.

To his surprise, Rami's family had accepted the burned body as hers, as her clothes and mobile phone were found at the scene.

After a two-month absence, Anil and Rami returned to Kutch, renting a room and attempting to live quietly. However, they eventually realised their escape plan had failed and returned to Rami's father on September 27 to confess their crime and seek forgiveness.

Rami's father, however, rejected their apology and contacted the police, providing them with details of the case.

Following the father's report, the police launched an investigation into the matter and took Rami and Anil into custody. They also began efforts to identify the deceased man through a sketch. During the interrogation, Anil and Rami confessed to the crime.

Kutch West Superintendent of Police, Vikas Sunda, confirmed that the couple were arrested and presented before the court on charges of murder and conspiracy.

"We suspected foul play from the beginning and initiated a thorough investigation, which ultimately led to the arrest of the lovers," Sunda said.

Further investigation into the matter is underway.