Woman who left husband for boyfriend found dead:Skeleton recovered; partner claims he dropped her home

In Madhya Pradesh Crime Files, we today examine a chilling murder mystery that left Katni police baffled for months. The case began when villagers discovered a human skeleton on a hill in the Dhimarkheda area. Wild animals had torn the body apart, scattering the remains across the hillside. The skull, ribs and leg bones were found lying separately. When police began investigating, it soon became clear that this was no ordinary case but a sensational murder mystery. Whose skeleton was it? Who committed the crime? And did the police finally reach the killer?
Read MP Crime Files – Part 1… Children found skeleton in forest It was a cold morning on 3 February 2021. A group of children from Dhimarkheda village in Katni district had gone towards the forest while playing. As they wandered near a hill, something unusual caught their attention at the bottom of a ravine — old clothes and scattered bones. Driven by curiosity, the children climbed down into the ditch. What they saw there left them frozen in shock. A human skeleton lay on the ground, seemingly torn apart and scattered by wild animals. The skull, ribs and leg bones were lying apart from one another. Terrified, the children ran back to the village and informed the kotwar (village watchman), Rajesh. Rajesh immediately rushed to the spot. The sight shocked him as well. A skeleton lay in the ravine, surrounded by torn and weathered clothes — a saree, blouse and shawl, scattered across the ground. Police investigation and an unsolved challenge
Upon receiving information, a team from Kundam police station and Tehsildar Pradeep Kumar Kaurav reached the spot. Police cordoned off the area and began collecting evidence. During the investigation, a 4-5 feet deep pit was also found in the ravine, which did not appear to have been dug recently. At first glance, police suspected that someone had killed the woman and dug a pit on this desolate hill to dispose of the body by burying it. However, wild animals, possibly dogs or jackals, detecting the smell, pulled the body out of the pit and made it their prey. The corpse was completely decomposed, with only bones and some pieces of flesh remaining. Looking at the condition of the skeleton, it appeared that this incident was several months old, which left no immediate possibility of identification. Question before the police – whose skeleton was it? The police were waiting for the forensic report. It was clear that the remains belonged to a woman, but several questions remained unanswered. Whose skeleton was it? Was this a case of murder? If so, who committed it, why, and how? Was the woman a local resident, or had she been brought from elsewhere and buried at this spot? Police first collected details of missing women from nearby villages, but found no match. No report had been filed for a woman who fit the description. The investigation was then widened to include missing person cases registered at neighbouring police stations over the past year. Missing person report and the first ray of identification During a review of records, police found a crucial lead. About seven months earlier, a man named Naresh Singh Maravi had filed a missing person report at Kundam police station for his wife, Rukmani Maravi. Naresh was immediately called in and shown the clothes recovered near the skeleton. As he touched the sari, blouse and shawl with trembling hands, his eyes filled with tears. He recognised them instantly as his wife’s clothes. This marked a major breakthrough, but police knew clothing identification alone was not sufficient. DNA testing was necessary to confirm the identity. Rukmani’s father, Suresh, was contacted and asked to come to Jabalpur to provide DNA samples. At Jabalpur Medical College, forensic expert Dr Mukesh Rai examined the skeleton in detail. Based on the condition of the bones, the team estimated the remains to be one to three months old. A shocking detail soon emerged — the skull showed signs of fracture. Doctors concluded that death had likely been caused by a heavy blow to the head. Love triangle revealed and mystery deepens With the identity confirmed, the investigation gathered pace. The focus now shifted to identifying the killer. Police initially suspected Naresh, the husband, and Suresh, the father. Both were questioned at length, separately and together. During interrogation, a hidden love story surfaced, giving the case a dramatic turn. Suresh revealed that although Rukmani was married to Naresh, she was unhappy in the marriage. She was in a relationship with another man from the village, Puran Singh. According to Suresh, on 11 May 2020, Rukmani left her husband’s house and ran away with Puran. After an extensive search, family members traced her and brought her back. A village panchayat was convened to resolve the issue, where both Rukmani and Puran were counselled and warned to stay away from each other. Lover said – “I had sent her back” Police now had a new suspect — Puran Singh. He was taken into custody and interrogated. Puran admitted to the relationship. “Yes, I loved Rukmani, and she wanted to live with me,” he told the police. “She left her husband and came to me. But I am already married, and my wife lives with me. I could not keep Rukmani in my house.” Puran claimed that after the panchayat’s intervention, he sent Rukmani back to her husband’s home. He denied any knowledge of when or how she went missing again. Two suspects, two stories, and one unanswered question Suspicion now centred on two men — husband Naresh and lover Puran. Both appeared to have possible motives. Suspicion on husband Naresh:
Did he kill his wife out of anger, betrayal, or social humiliation? Did an argument after her return escalate into violence? Was the missing person report merely an attempt to mislead investigators? Suspicion on lover Puran:
Was Rukmani pressuring him to live together? Did he fear his own marriage would collapse? Did he kill her to remove her from his life? Instead of moving closer to a solution, the case grew more complex. Both men stood by their statements, and police lacked decisive evidence against either. The question remained — who killed Rukmani? Read in Madhya Pradesh Crime Files – Part 2… Was this an honour killing by the husband? Or an act of desperation by the lover? Was there a third person whose role had yet to surface? Did the police finally reach Rukmani’s real killer?