Uncle held her feet, father strangled minor:14-year-old girl murdered, body burned; bathroom door clue exposed shocking family crime after police investigation

A 14-year-old girl, Anjali, from Pathakheda village in Betul district, was found burnt to death in December 2013, just two days after being sent to her sister’s house following a village controversy. According to police records, Anjali was caught with her boyfriend Ravi in a room on December 28, 2013. Villagers handed Ravi over to the police, and the incident became a topic of discussion across the village. After this, Anjali’s father sent her to live at her sister’s house, about five kilometres away. Two days later, her burnt body was found in the bathroom of her aunt’s house. Family members told the police that Anjali died by suicide, saying she set herself on fire due to fear of disgrace. However, police also found some evidence that raised suspicion of murder. The situation became more complicated after the post-mortem report arrived, leaving the police unsure whether the case was suicide or murder. What was in the post-mortem report and how did the police solve this case? Read Part-2 of Crime Files Post-mortem report reveals – death due to lack of oxygen, not burns
Police Inspector Surendra Singh was at the scene with his team. A kerosene bottle, a burnt matchstick, and a badly charred body all pointed towards a well-planned suicide. The family members also kept repeating that the girl had set herself on fire out of fear of disgrace. They repeatedly expressed suspicion about Anjali’s boyfriend Ravi, but the forensic team’s attention was drawn to the bathroom door, which was only ajar, not locked from the inside. Why would someone leave the door open before setting themselves on fire? This question was swirling in Inspector Singh’s mind. Meanwhile, the post-mortem report arrived and complicated the matter even further. What Dr. Shweta, who prepared the report, found was shocking- Police started investigation on four angles
Inspector Surendra Singh had started the investigation from four angles. The first was suicide, second – murder by boyfriend, third – honor killing, and fourth – some unknown enemy. But, months passed and the case file grew thicker, but nothing was found in the name of a clue. There was no CCTV camera around the crime scene, and no one in the village was ready to say anything. The police’s deepest suspicion was on Anjali’s family, especially on her maternal uncle Jogendra Singh’s family, because the body was found in their house. Access for any outsider to that bathroom, located in the back part of the house, was almost impossible. The police had conducted several rounds of questioning with all the members present in the house, but the result was zero. Seven months later a crucial clue from a threat
Seven months had passed. This case had reached a dead end, with no way forward visible. Meanwhile, a small incident changed the direction of the investigation. On July 2, 2014, Anjali’s boyfriend Ravi’s brother, Deepak Yadav, approached the police. He reported that a few days earlier, Anjali’s cousin, Omprakash, had come to him and started arguing. In anger, Omprakash threatened him and said, “Why don’t you call that Ravi, I need to teach him a lesson. Anjali has been taken care of, now it’s his turn. My girl is dead, now I won’t spare your boy.” This was not just a threat; it was an unspoken confession. Three Lies of the Family and a Web of Circumstantial Evidence
Based on this statement, the police immediately took action. Jogendra Singh’s entire family was taken into custody. Anjali’s father Surendra Singh, who was not present at the time of the incident, was also made the main accused on charges of conspiring to murder, helping to destroy evidence, and misleading the police. Now Anjali’s family was in the dock. But they did not confess their guilt. To save themselves, they fabricated three different and contradictory stories before the court and the police… Court sentenced life imprisonment after 11 years
This case ran for 11 years in the Betul District Court. There was no eyewitness in this case. The entire case was based on circumstantial evidence. The defense could not counter the evidence presented by the prosecution. During these 11 years, one accused, uncle Jogendra Singh, passed away. Finally, on September 29, 2025, the day of justice arrived. Additional Sessions Judge, Dr. Mahjabeen Khan, pronounced her verdict after a thorough examination of all evidence and statements. She concluded that the family members strangled Anjali to death to save their false honor and then tried to make it look like a suicide by burning her. The judge found Anjali’s father Surendra Singh, cousins Omprakash and Deepak, aunt Geetadevi, and sister-in-law Radhika guilty of murder and destruction of evidence, sentencing them to life imprisonment. One accused, Anuradha, was acquitted due to lack of evidence, as her presence in the house on the day of the incident could not be proven.