Prayagraj: A 48-year-old man from Delhi, Ashok Kumar, was arrested for murdering his wife, Meenakshi (40), during their visit to the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj on February 18. They came for a Ganga snan, but tensions arose from Kumar's alleged extramarital affair, leading him to plot her murder.
"We received evidence on Feb 21 (Friday) when the deceased's brother, Pravesh Kumar and her sons Ashwani and Adarsh of Delhi's Trilokpuri contacted Jhunsi police and identified her with the help of clothes and photos. They identified her as Meenakshi." Police said according to reports by Times Of India.
Kumar, a sanitation worker, created an alibi by posting videos of their visit on social media. After killing his wife, he reported her missing at the local police station and went into hiding.
Kumar and Meenakshi arrived from Delhi, renting a room at Azad Nagar without submitting ID proofs. The next morning, her body was discovered in the bathroom. A postmortem was conducted, and an investigation ensued as police reviewed CCTV and social media for clues. On February 21, Meenakshi's family identified her through clothing and photographs, revealing the couple's troubled relationship.
CCTV footage of the couple and missing alert of Meenakshi. | X, Screengrab
The police, working with a special operations group, tracked Kumar using CCTV footage, leading to his arrest. He confessed to slitting his wife's throat during an argument and disposed of the murder weapon and his bloody clothes at the Kumbh. Authorities confirmed Kumar had premeditated the crime for three months.
